To You, On Days Like Today

On days like today, I stand in solidarity with you.

You, who have for weeks, been overcome with dread and fear about facing the sun rise.  Not because you don’t cherish that role everyone around you is celebrating, but because days like this are like a million broken shards of glass that pierce and prod, and relentlessly remind you of the unbearable loss that leaves a perpetual void in your heart…and in your embrace.

You, who have yearned and yearned and tried and tried.  And have heard the heartbeat, saw the ultrasound, laid numb and lifeless on a hospital bed while that glimpse of your entire future was swiftly taken from your body, from your soul.  You have longed, with every fiber of your being, to wake up to finally claim days like today as your own.

You, who find very little reason, or perhaps no reason at all, to celebrate the woman in your life who really is no more than just a title on a piece of paper.  You, who walk around lost and dazed on days like today, desperately trying to find a sliver of a reason to celebrate her.  Desperately trying to find a way to free yourself from her.

You, who teach, mentor, lead, guide, and LOVE without ever even having to carry life inside of you.  You instinctively offer your gift of life to all those outside of you, around you.  So incredibly beautiful how you - even more so than many who carry the title – sacrifice, empower, and nurture the countless spirits of others.

Today I stand in solidarity with you. 

Mothers of the earth,

Nurturers of the human spirit,

Lovers of the entire village,

Broken,

Whole,

Hopeless,

Hopeful,

Extraordinary.

Today, while the world celebrates a role you may or may not feel worthy or comfortable claiming as your own.

I see you. 

I hear your voice. 

I see your worth.

I stand by you. 

And I celebrate your indomitable spirit to continue to carry love and light into the world, 

Even when it’s probably a bit harder to do so, on days like today.