Mother's Day

A reflection and a poem.

May 11, 2025

Hello!

Before we jump into today’s post … welcome! My name is Tanner. I am an author, spoken word poet, and speaker. Every week I share a few hopeful poems, prayers, and reflections. If you enjoy the words I share, I’d love to have you support this ministry at the monthly, annual, or founding member level.

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Today is Mother’s Day.
And I am not a mother.
Just a guy who writes about what I see.
And from what I see …

Motherhood is a beautiful and complicated role, where joy and grief, love and loss, sit side by side, often in silence. It is something we can never fully understand, no matter how close we stand. A heart that beats outside the body. A tenderness that never turns off. And yet, a quiet war that fights against time, against doubt, against the moments we cannot control.

On this day, we are invited to celebrate.
But we must also remember that not all mothers feel celebrated.
Not all mothers are where they thought they’d be, or who they thought they’d become.
Not all little girls grow up to become mothers.

Today, many are grieving.
Many are waiting.
Many are carrying burdens no one else sees.

This poem is for the mothers whose love is worn down by the weight of it all, whose stories go unnoticed, whose hearts hold more than they could ever say.
It is for those who don’t feel like they have it all together and are tired of trying to be someone they aren’t.
For the mothers with scars, stretch marks, and stories.
For those whose journey is still unfolding.
For the mothers who are hoping and praying.
For the mothers who cannot believe this is their life.
For the mothers who beg God for time to slow down.
For the mothers who have lost, who are waiting, or who wrestle with fear and exhaustion in the quiet hours.
It is for those who feel loved, seen, and celebrated.
It is for those who feel forgotten, overlooked, and alone.

Take your time with this poem.
Share it with a mom in your life.
Sit with the tension of hope and grief, joy and uncertainty.
Pray for the mothers in your life.

With Hope,
Tanner Olson

To the Mothers

To the mothers we love.

To the mothers who are about to be.

To the mothers who hope to be.

To the mothers who will one day be.

To the mothers who will adopt and foster.

To the mothers who we will never know.

To the mothers who open their homes and their hearts.

To the mothers who carry scars, stretch marks, and stories too deep for words.

To the mothers who had to say goodbye and those still waiting to say hello.

To the mothers who haven’t slept in years and are up all night wrestling fears.

To the mothers who raise more than their own and remind us we are not alone.

To the mothers who feel forgotten.

To the mothers who are overlooked, overwhelmed, and unseen.

To the mothers who are exhausted and stressed and need a minute or month to rest.

To the mothers who are doing this alone.

To those whose children won’t pick up the phone.

To the mothers who feel like they’ve lost everything for everyone.

To the mothers who feel like they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

To the mothers who have become grandmothers,
And the grandmothers who have become great-grandmothers,
Passing down more than just stories,
But strength, grace, and love.

Here is to you.

To you we owe more than one day.

We see you.

We thank you.

We love you.