To the mom who is rocking motherhood in every way, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the mom who feels exhausted and empty, who has lashed out at the kids more times than she’s proud of, and who all around feels like she’s failing, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the single mom who is lonely and heartbroken for herself and her children, who doesn’t know how she’s going to make ends meet, and who questions her strength to do this alone everyday, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the mom who struggles with chronic illness and mothers every single day despite fatigue and physical or emotional pain, who carries immense guilt for the way it impacts her children, and who wishes she could just be a “normal” mom, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the mom whose child is sick, who feels powerless against the ailment that attack her child, and who basically became a doctor/nurse/researcher/first responder overnight, and who hopes every day that her child will live a long and beautiful life, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the mom who lost her baby due to miscarriage, still birth, SIDS, or death that came way too soon, and doesn’t possibly know how she can make it out of bed today or hide the deep, deep pain that having an angel baby brings, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the mom who placed her child for adoption and the mom whose child is in foster care, who wonders everyday what their child looks like or what new skills they’ve acquired, who dodges glances of mean and judgmental folks, and who truly wants the best and safest life for her child, even if its not with you, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the adoptive mom, the foster mom, the stepmom, and the mentor mom who wonders and worries and yet loves exceedingly deeply and without regret, I see you, and this day is for you.

To the one who wants to be a mom more than anything, but suffers from infertility, sickness, or any other thing standing in your way, who cries frequently and suffers from jealousy every time she sees a mom radiant with joy, and who fears she’ll never get her chance, I see you, and this day is for you.

And to the one whose mom has passed, whose mom is estranged, or whose mom is otherwise not worth celebrating, who mothers themselves because their mom failed to do so well, or to those who dreads this day for a myriad of other painful reminders that stab the soul, I see you, and this day is for you.

Happy Mother’s Day, friend.