The Women Who Mother the World

Mother’s Day has a way of stirring up so many emotions.

For some, it’s a day filled with flowers, laughter, and handwritten cards.
For others, it’s quieter… heavier somehow. A mix of love, longing, memory, and maybe even a little ache.

Because the truth is—Mother’s Day isn’t one-size-fits-all.

There are women who have carried children.
Women who have lost children.
Women who have longed to become mothers but never did.
Women who chose a different path.
Women who mother in ways the world doesn’t always recognize.

And maybe that’s why this year, I couldn’t stop thinking about this:

What if being a mother isn’t just something you are… but something you do?

The Many Ways We Nurture

When I really sit with it, I see it everywhere.

I see it in the aunt who shows up again and again, steady and present.
In the friend who listens without rushing, who holds space without needing to fix.
In the woman who pours her heart into a business, a ministry, a creative work—bringing something meaningful into the world that didn’t exist before.

I see it in caregivers.
In mentors.
In women who love fiercely, protect gently, and give of themselves in quiet, unseen ways.

Nurturing isn’t always loud.
It doesn’t always get celebrated.
But it is powerful.

And it is everywhere.

My Mother, My Story

When I think about nurturing, of course, I think about my mom.

She was wonderful… and she was human.

There were things about her that made me feel deeply loved.
And there were things—especially as I stepped into the role of caregiver—that stretched me, frustrated me, and, if I’m honest, sometimes hurt.

With this upcoming first Mother’s Day without my mom, the thought of this day has given me a space to reflect on all of it—the beauty and the brokenness. The laughter and the tension. The memories I cherish and the ones I’ve had to gently lay down.

And somewhere in that reflection, something has softened in me.

I find myself letting go of the need for her to have been more than she was…
and holding tighter to the ways she loved me the best she knew how.

*1975 Road Trip Family Vacation*

*These beautiful women are my sister, grandmother, and mom…Heaven’s Angels.*

What We Carry Forward

Because here’s what I’m realizing:

We don’t just remember the women who came before us…
we carry them.

In the way we show up.
In the way we love.

In the way we pray.
In the way we care for others.

And sometimes, in the quietest moments, I catch glimpses of her in me.

A phrase I say.
A way I comfort someone.

A way I want to make someone’s day lighter.
A softness I didn’t always notice before.

Not everything gets carried forward.
We get to choose what continues.

And maybe that’s one of the most sacred parts of it all.

A Gentle Truth

There’s a verse I’ve come back to time and time again. It’s the theme of this site:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

For so long, I thought that meant pushing through, staying strong, holding it all together.

But lately, I’m beginning to see it differently.

Maybe that strength looks like:

choosing grace over resentment
choosing to forgive, little by little
choosing to nurture—even when it’s hard
choosing to love, not perfectly, but faithfully

Because nurturing… real nurturing… requires strength.

The kind that doesn’t always look impressive from the outside,
but is deeply rooted on the inside.

More Than a Mother

So today, whether you are a mother…
miss a mother…
long to be one…
or have never felt called to that role at all—

If you have ever loved someone well…
If you have ever poured into something with care…
If you have ever shown up, stayed, held on, or let go with grace…

You are to be celebrated.

Because the heart of a mother isn’t defined by biology.

It’s revealed in the way we nurture.

And that kind of love?

It leaves a legacy.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Blessings,
Bonnie 🤍

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