“Gem plus toast = mom.”
And that was my son’s description of me on the Mother’s Day card he made me. While I loved the card, at first, I was confused about the mathematical equation he used to describe me. Casually, I asked him to tell me what he meant.
He went on to explain that I was made up of beauty, like the gem, but that I was also lots of normal, everyday things like the toast we eat for breakfast. “Mama,” he said. “You’re always writing about the beauty of the day and that’s what I think of you. You’re a gem plus toast.” I have never had anyone say anything more meaningful to me, and I will treasure his description forever.
And you know what? You are all gems plus toast. Everyday, you do beautiful things and show your kids what it looks like to live and love in the sometimes mundane routine of life.
You pack lunches and change diapers; you plant flowers and take hikes, arms wide open.
You clean toilets and take out the trash; you rock babies and hug teenagers.
You drive in traffic and check email; you pray and wipe away tears from blotchy faces.
You get frustrated and overwhelmed, but then, when you think you might not be able to hear your name one more time, tiny arms reach for you and you pick up a small child who hugs your neck so tightly.
You worry and cry; you sing and laugh.
You make mistakes, but you try harder every day. You’re a work in progress but with so many blessings.
“Gem plus toast = mom.” 
Our lives as mothers are gems plus toast. There is beauty in the everyday, my friends, and we know because we live it. Our eyes are opening to what is even in the midst of the chaos of mothering.
Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me, as each and every one of you show the way of beauty in the everyday to the children you mother in the many ways we do. Since mother is also a verb, that term includes us all. We’re all in today. Thank you for mothering today and every day.