Angry This Week...

One Mother's Day I attended the Spanish language Mass.  Near the end of the Mass, all of the mothers were asked to come to the front where they were presented with long stemmed roses and the choir sang two songs that lauded mothers.

I stood there and I prayed for a hole to open up and swallow me, I have never been more embarrassed in my life.  Why?  Because I saw pure, unadulterated pain in many faces of the women who were NOT standing there.  I saw the agony of infertility, of those who long for marriage, of those who have lost children and did not feel they could be included.  I saw tears, I saw anger, I saw pain and it broke my heart.

Of course, I love my mother and my mother-in-law and all of the mothers in my life.  We should love and honor our mothers every day of our lives.

Yet, in my own circle of friends - both real life and online - the pain this week is palpable.  Mothers who have lost their children, mothers who have lost their spouse, recently divorced or separated or abandoned mothers, women who struggle with infertility, mothers who have secondary infertility, women who feel they have failed... there is so much pain and it does break my heart.

Spend this week in prayer for healing and comfort to all the women who are suffering this week.  Instead of coming to see me, I want my son to sit with his friend's mom who buried her son a few weeks ago.  Please, good Christians, open your hearts to hurting women this week.