Happy Mother's Day 2020

Bear with me My Beautiful Sisters...❤ Preface: After re-reading this, I want to make it clear that this is not meant to be a "woe is me" message - it's a, "we all have self-doubt (to varying levels) yet we persevere" message... :) I read a post on Reddit with comments by first-time pregnant moms who were understandably exasperated and needing to vent. It started with a pregnant mom who was tired of the phrase "you got this". A second mom added that they were tired of the overuse of "Mama" and another agreed with her stating that wasn't "even a mom yet" as her due date was still days away. It became a barrage of complaints about how everyone is trying to be so sunny during this awful time and it's getting old... etc, etc. I admit, as I read these messages, my heart was sinking. 😥 Just look at the greeting for this message (..."My Beautiful Sisters")! AND, I'm the Queen of ❤❤❤❤❤ (heart emojis and exclamation points!! You should see me when I'm typing - I'm often smiling as I type and bouncing in my chair as I punctuate and... emojialize!! 🤩 I also use the phrase "you got this" very often! Am I who they're talking about?!! Is this post about me???? Is there something wrong with me because I love calling you guys "Mami" and I believe that deep inside we all "got this" somehow? Oh no!! ? on was passing - I know I'm not that bad! 😄 As usual, I was doing my normal overly-sensitive taking it all to heart thing. Yes, I'm overly sensitive! It's my least favorite personal trait - something I've struggled to control since I first admitted to it back in high school. Self-doubt, though my constant companion, was my biggest enemy. It's a miracle I ever got this group off the ground given how hard it can be just to get a reply to an email sometimes. God forbid getting moms to show up at a meeting! The self-doubt was (and can often still be) overwhelming. Alas, I've toughened up a bit - I just remind myself that moms don't respond to me because they obviously don't see my messages at all - they're all in SPAM! (right?) 😄 Otherwise they would have responded ASAP and all Mamistad meetings would have tons of attendees and we'd have formed millions of groups by now and every mom would be a Mamistad Mami and no moms would be depressed or anxious or lonely or doubting themselves and all the families would be happy and healthy as we'd all observe at the MASSIVE yearly Christmas parties attended by all of us and our families! 😍😐 Obviously, that's not true. I'm sure many moms join our group with no intention of ever being in a group. I remember that feeling, as a pregnant mom, that if I've at least signed up for all of this "mom stuff" then I must be on the right track - and hopefully something will pan out because of...I don't know...is it the law of averages...? 😬 I'm sure there are many moms who see hearts and emojis splattered all over my messages and think "Oh geez, is this person in high school?" They probably seek out a more sophisticated association of childbearing individuals and hopefully feel more at home there - though they're always welcome to come back of course! 🥰 I lament the loss but realize now that I can't control how everyone thinks because I can't understand everyone - and that's OKAY. Is this making any sense? Some people may actually think all of these things about me, and yes, it makes me sad. I want everyone to like me because part of me likes most people I meet (unless you're mean to children or dogs or old people or...I'll stop myself). My mom always taught me to seek God in others - to think of them as someone's son, daughter, mother, father... She said everyone is loved by someone so therefore, there is something good in everyone and we need to seek that - or at least, give each other the benefit of the doubt. Believe me, it's a work in progress - but I'm trying. When it comes to Mamistad, the point is, I can only be me, and you can only be you. I want to love you because that's just how God made me - I'm finally giving in to that. 🌻 I see beauty in every mom - I guess it's a gift - sometimes feels like a curse (when my love is rejected). And YES, even if your baby is not technically born yet, I DO BELIEVE YOU ARE A MOTHER! 🤰 You are feeding and protecting and sustaining the life of another human being that you likely have some form of connection to. YOU can only be you - and there's a WIDE range of YOUS out there. Though, YOU personally consider yourself a "Me" or an "I" so this message is about you as much as it's about me because we can both be I - and I CAN ONLY BE ME. :) Deep right? 😁 Now we get into why loving "me" is so important but we'll save that for Father's Day. 😅 ANYWAY, I think the bottom line is... "Don't believe everything you think." You can only be you and I can only be me. I just happen to see you and me as sisters - and the mother in me loves the mother in YOU.❣️ So.....go get 'em Mama - you got this! 😀 Love love love and Mamistad to you all! Mamistad, ❤️ ~Cynthia