This month is bringing a bunch of emotions to the forefront. Mark is graduating from Preschool. I am earning my Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Mark and I are going up north for a few days over the summer, which brings up memories of Mark Allen and I’s summers spent at our family home up in Ohio.

I remember crying a few months back because Mark is growing so fast and for some reason, these last 4 months it is like hes developed this sense of independence. He has grown into such a little man and it’s scary. It makes me think about the future and what lies ahead for him. I wonder if I am doing all that I can to instill good values and morals in him. I wonder if I am helping him become a better man and setting him up for success in life.

I never thought that motherhood would take me on this journey of self-discovery. I knew pregnancy would cause my body to grow. I didn’t know the journey of raising Mark would expand my emotional range (which I thought was impossible to do), cause my anxiety to skyrocket (again, something I thought was impossible to do), or even lead me to self-love, confidence, and internal growth.

Motherhood has been the greatest blessing and most intense journey of my life. I know I fail often. I lose my cool and I am not the picture-perfect mom you’ll see on social media. I’ve lost friends along the way. I’ve burned bridges with family members. I’ve had to make many difficult personal decisions that would ultimately benefit Mark in the long run. But I think that is what motherhood is. When they say “a mother’s love,” I think of “a mother’s work is never done.”

My job as Mark’s mom is to love him unconditionally. My job is to sacrifice anything so it can potentially make his life a little better- a little easier. A mother’s job is to love and like her job, a mother’s work is never done.