Mother's Day as the Odd One Out

Ah, Mother's Day, a day both anticipated and dreaded at the same time.  It's the day we remember our mothers, our grandmothers, and family, but it is also the day (quite similar to Valentine's Day) where those excluded by this prestigious station in life find it awkward and perhaps painful as they see themselves surrounded constantly by reminders of what they lack.  I am among that number, yet I have chosen to focus on Mother's Day in the positive manner it is meant for.

I will not be waking up with faces looking upon me, eager to give me breakfast in bed, nor have any kind of meal made in my honor.  I will not be getting presents or have phone calls from family today.  All of those things will be surrounding me everywhere I look, whether from social media, church, or while I'm with the family.  It's enough to make one miserable, and there are plenty of others I know in various circumstances who struggle with it, even women who are valid mothers.  So does it make me miserable?  No.  I admit there have been times when I've felt awkward, like when they hand out gifts to the mothers in church, and they feel like they have to include me.  Most of them try to do that to be nice, but honestly, that nice gesture can make it feel worse about the situation.

A few years ago, I sat back and though about Mother's Day and realized that there was no reason for me to be miserable on this day.  It was a day to celebrate my mother, my grandmothers, and all the women who came before them as well as other women who became my mentors in life.  This day has nothing to do with me.  It has all to do with them!  Even if I was surrounded by little ones, it still would have nothing to do with me (it would have have all to do with them!).  To explain it more frankly, this holiday is not meant to focus on ME.  It was meant to focus on THEM, and that I can do very well.