Oh Glorious Day: The Magic of Motherhood: A Beautifully Curated Gift of a Book

Motherhood is SO much. So much of who I am, so much harder than I imagined, so much better than I had dreamed, so much more draining than I had prepared for, so much more fulfilling than I could have banked on. It has clearly shown me my limits in devastatingly obvious ways and brought to the surface my selfishness, insecurities and sinful proclivities more than any other role or realm of my life ever has. Pretty much all I ever wanted to be was a mom and because I embraced that so willingly, so excitedly I truly thought I would naturally thrive; of course, this was not the case. Acceptance, preparation and gusto only take you so far in this race- there is so much you can in no way, shape or form expect or foretell your reaction to. There are so many little, tiny details of the days with my kids that bring me so much more joy than I could have ever imagined and there are huge, right in my face blessings about my children that I so easily take for granted and brush off. It really is amazing the new level of awareness and fierce emotions that Motherhood brings and at yet the same time the amount of multitasking and self sacrifice that it requires that on some days, makes me feel like some sort of a robot. I didn't see so much of this coming and one sure thing that has kept me grounded and encouraged in this role is my fellow Mamas who I have been able to vulnerably share with and who honestly tell me back, "Oh, me too." C.S. Lewis was surely right with quoting "Me too" as the basis for a true friendship.

I am thankful to have a real life community of other moms who I can walk this road alongside and share the burdens and the joys along the way with. But I have also over the years appreciated the safe haven of "Mommy Bloggers" I have found on the internet for the days when home is where I have to be but encouragement is needed badly. I really respect those women with a gift for words and a vulnerable enough spirit to not only share the beautiful things (which is easy enough online) but the hard and not so pretty things as well. A newer to me site that offers just such a comfort is Coffee + Crumbs. Ashlee Gadd began this beautiful, little corner of the internet to encourage and inspire fellow moms and she has done such a good job with that it has morphed into an even more gorgeous book!

The Magic of Motherhood: The good stuff, the hard stuff and everything in between is really a work of art- both in the text and the visual department. This is a gift worthy, luxe hardback book with a velvety matte cover and exceptionally sturdy pages. I loved the corresponding photography with each essay and full page photo/quote spreads sprinkled through out the book as well. It really feels like you took a beautifully curated and well written blog and wrapped it up into an even better book to hold in your hands.

All the writers that Ashlee teamed up with on this project offer a unified front in celebrating and uplifting the calling of motherhood but offer varying perspectives with humor, grace and truth. I was instantly sucked in with one of the first essays about the "mom jeans"- a true to life reminiscing of our overly confident pre-mom selves and in the ways we have to stretch and adapt and yet still, we are ourselves. No "mom jeans" needed, we just bring whatever "cut" we are/have and it becomes what a mom needs to embodied as.

The stories come from moms of varying forms and lifestyles- some unexpectedly becoming mothers, others thru many trials, and still others receiving children from the heart and not the womb. The essays touch on the heart aching joys and the heart breaking griefs that Motherhood can bring. This book would make an amazing Mother's day gift and I will be slowly relishing it in the lead up to that annual shout out of a day to this intense profession. I will let myself be reminded of all the gifts I already have received for being a mom.