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May 2024 Editor's Note: Motherhood: A Journey of Growth and Love

May 2024

by stephanie toews, executive editor

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you never knew existed.

Linda Wooten

Motherhood is a beautiful miracle, smoothing our rough edges, unraveling our expectations, and transforming us in unimaginable ways. It pushes us to the edge of ourselves and reminds us how very little is within our control, driving us to love someone more than we love ourselves. It's learning, growing, and confronting fears we didn’t know existed, nurturing dreams we’ve never dared to dream, and offering prayers never before whispered. It’s a delicate dance of growth alongside our children: seeking redemption following the stumbles, knowing when to communicate or, instead, hold our tongues. It leaves no soul unchanged. It is simultaneously a profound blessing and a weighty responsibility as we carry the imprint of our children’s journey through every chapter of their lives.

Motherhood means trying to soak up every minute of our children’s fleeting time in our homes amidst sleepless nights and tired souls. We strive not to lose sight of the brevity of this time and the beauty in each season. We sacrifice to give them the best and try to shield them from the pain of this world. Their triumphs become ours; their sorrows carved into our hearts. Their good news is our good news, and their best days are ours—you’re only as happy as your least happy child, as the saying goes.

Motherhood feels a lot like saying goodbye, little by little, to days we can’t get back and moments forever etched in our souls. From the first time we wave goodbye to them at preschool to the bittersweet farewell of high school, we witness their emerging independence with a mixture of pride and longing. As we gradually let go, we relish this sign of a job well done. We’ve raised them to fly and will continue cheering them on for the rest of our earthly lives. A mother’s job will never be done, a child will never outgrow their need for her, and as they grow and marry and continue with their own families, the mother's role remains pivotal.

This month, let us pause to honor and celebrate the mothers among us whose love and sacrifice shape the very fabric of our lives. Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Stephanie

Originally printed in the May 2024 issue of Simply Local Magazine

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Stephanie Toews

Stephanie is finding joy in the journey of faith, marriage, motherhood, and friendships. Writing is her therapy and one of her favorite creative outlets.

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