Oh, the lovely month of May—a time for wishing all my fellow moms out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
And a time for welcoming everyone to the launch of the Saving Each Other website, brought to you by a daughter who defies gravity and by me, a Mom On a Mission – M.O.M.
I know there are plenty of others like me who have become a M.O.M. in one way or another. Like me, many of you might not have anticipated how overwhelming the odds can be — or that the mission could include holding your child’s life in your hands.
Back in what we refer to as the “Pre-NMO days,” I used to joke about how my tendencies to worry made me an overprotective mom. OK the kids did at times call me “Smother Mother.” Yep, I was a worryer way back. Actually, I'm convinced that being born a preemie—three months early— was just me needing to get out and have a jump start on the whole worrying thing.
The annoying part of the worry gene is that so much energy is wasted on irrational fears that never manifest. But what happens when your worst nightmare becomes your reality? That’s when you have a choice of going down for the count or becoming a M.O.M.
Like many parents, I feel that nothing matters more than my kids’ well being. Of the many responsibilities we juggle (either by choice or necessity), no job is as important as being a mom or dad. Nor as rewarding. So whenever I think about Mother’s Day, my thoughts always go to the love for each of my three amazing children. I think of their growth as individuals, the different paths they’re on, and about the power of love that we share.
In thinking of my miraculous soon-to-be 20 year old daughter Ali and the extraordinary mother-daughter journey we’ve been on the past five years, I think of how she describes sharing the experience of facing the dreaded diagnosis she was given of a so-called rare, “incurable” autoimmune disease:
That’s the journey of Saving Each Other that I imagine lots of my fellow M.O.M.s are on.
May all of your Mother’s Days be triumphant and shared in love!
Beautiful post. Praying you'll be standing on the summit thus Morher's Day. Thank you for sharing.