May is the Month for Moms!
“Having kids — the responsibility of rearing good, kind, ethical, responsible human beings — is the biggest job anyone can embark on.” — Maria Shriver
With spring completely under way, flowers blooming and grass turning green, May is the perfect month to show our appreciation for all the beautiful moms out there.
Whether you’re a mother of one (like me) or of six kids, or even a mother to a “fur baby,” you need to celebrate you this Mother’s Day.
Do you realize that being a mom is the toughest job in the world? Moms make countless sacrifices each and every day for their children. You know the drill: when you have a child, you make a vow to that child—like a wedding vow—that you will love them in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, all the days of your life.
Fifteen years ago, I became a mother. I had left being President/CEO of Radi Inc., a job that I loved, to pursue my new and even bigger challenge: motherhood.
Ironically, after working for 2 cardiac companies, I ended up giving birth to a child with a severe cardiac defect, called Epstein’s Anomaly. It is a tricuspid valve defect. Our son was in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) of Children’s Hospital for the first month of his life.
When I was pregnant, the doctors gave the baby a 50% chance of making it to birth. It is great that with my faith, I always have a positive outlook— and so, in spite of the doctors’ alarm bells, I always knew that the baby could make it to birth. To date, John Robert has had 2 successful open-heart surgeries—at 3 years old and again at 10—as well as an ablation procedure to address his arrhythmias.
Now at 15, he sings, swims, dances, is active in drama and Boy Scouts—and also finds time to play tennis. He just performed both a solo and also a duet at Landmark High School last week. As you can see, he’s extremely well rounded–doing well both academically and physically, and I am a very proud mom.
Celebrating your child’s accomplishments is part of a mom’s everyday role in life. My mom celebrated all her kids’ and grandkids’ achievements every day, and now that she’s gone, I miss her every day. I miss just talking to her. I’m sure that if your mom has passed, you probably miss her too, but we can rejoice in the knowledge that their memory and spirt live on in us.
I am blessed to have my mother-in-law, Virginia, in my life. She’s an incredible woman who goes out of her way to make it to every grandchild’s birthday, musical, play, dance recital, prom, sports, performances and other events. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her; she’s 88 years young, and still sharp as a tack. She is so caring and giving, and just a lot of fun to be around.
This Mother’s Day, please take a moment to acknowledge the person who gave you birth, as well as the people who to this day are still your motherly role models. They are all blessings in your life.
God bless all of you mothers who have made sacrifices for your families. Enjoy your day with your family, and just celebrate being a mom. It is the greatest job in the world.
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa