The heart of a mother

Mother's day is right around the corner so my mind has been thinking a lot about what a mother does for her children.
Becoming a mother is the act of allowing yourself to lose control and being okay with it. 
It all starts before you even get pregnant. Not knowing when it will happen or if it even will. And if it does, will it stay?
And when it does, you no longer have the control over how your body will react. Foods you once enjoyed now repulse you. Everything hurts. Your hormones are doing funky (and amazing) things. You're exhausted even though you just woke up. You get bigger and bigger and bigger.
Then it's the waiting. Counting down the weeks waiting for baby and body to agree to be born. Ask most women who have gone over their estimated due date about their unsuccessful old wives tales when trying to induce labor. Labor is something we physiologically cannot control. 
Then on the day your baby decides to arrive, the control of your body needs to be released in order for the symphony of birth to happen. We have to will our minds to let our body go in order for birth to happen. We have to let go of the doubt, fear and anticipation to just be in the moment.
When baby is born, we realize that time is no longer ours. We give of everything to help our child adapt, learn and thrive. Some schedules work, some fail. What was flowing yesterday isn't today. So we hand over the control and just roll with each day as it comes. Learning how this unique human is fitting into this world.
Days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months. Soon first words are being spoken. First steps are taken. With every new first is a feeling of triumph and heartbreak. Little by little, your baby doesn't need you. Words go from "momma" to "no" to "let me do it" to "I got it". Whether it's putting on a shirt or learning to ride a bike, mothers know they have to let their child do it eventually; so we let go of control no matter how messy it may be. 
Before we know it, our baby will be older and ready to live their life. And all we can do is love them and let them know we are always in their corner. Fly or fail, they always have a home to come back to and a momma that will still give everything for them.

Happy Mother's day to all women. Those who wish to be mothers, are mothers of angels, young mothers, older mothers, mothers by birth, mothers by love.