There is something quietly extraordinary about motherhood.
It does not ask for applause. It does not wait for a standing ovation. It shows up at 2am when someone has a fever. It packs the lunches and remembers the permission slips and sits in the bleachers in the rain. It holds space for the hard conversations and somehow still manages to hold it all together, even on the days when it barely feels like it.
We talk a lot about what mothers do. But we do not talk nearly enough about what they carry. The invisible weight of worrying whether they are doing it right. The quiet grief of watching kids grow up too fast. The identity shift of becoming someone’s whole world before you have even figured out your own. The exhaustion that does not have a name because there is no word big enough for it.
And here is the thing, so much of it goes unseen. Unnoticed. Unremarked upon. The world keeps moving, and moms keep showing up, and somehow it becomes expected rather than celebrated.
That is exactly why Mother’s Day matters. Not because it solves any of that. But because it gives us one moment to stop, look our moms in the eye, and say: I see you. I know how hard you work. And I love you for it.
Whether you are celebrating the mom who raised you, the mom of your children, or the mom you have become yourself, this one’s for you.
Earlier this month, we asked Michiana to show up for the moms in their lives. We launched a Mother’s Day photo submission contest called Mother’s Day Snapshots here on My Deals Michiana, inviting people to share a photo and a note, about what being a mom means to them, what their mom has meant to them, or how incredible the mother of their kids truly is. The winner will receive a gorgeous care package courtesy of our friends at Taboo Beauty Collective (stay tuned for that announcement!).
Every entry submitted was shared with permission. And honestly? Reading through these has been one of the most moving things we have done on this platform.
We wish we could choose them all.
Check out these sweet love notes about motherhood
Some submissions make you laugh before they make you cry. This first one is exactly that kind of love:
“Mom, you may not always understand my ‘weird’ fashion, but you’ve always been my biggest supporter in life. I’ve gotten through some of my toughest times because of you, and I couldn’t ask for a better mother. I love you with all my heart.”
There it is: the fashion politely roasted, the love deeply meant. This is the kind of relationship so many of us have with our moms: she might not always get it, but she has never once stopped showing up for you. And at the end of the day, that is the whole thing, is it not?
Then there are the submissions that reach right into your chest. This next one was written by a mom reflecting on what motherhood actually is, the version no one puts on the greeting card:
“Being a mom means carrying pieces of my heart outside of my body… every single day. It’s the little hands reaching for mine, the random ‘I love yous,’ and the moments that feel so small but somehow mean everything. It’s not always easy. There are days I’m overwhelmed, tired, and wondering if I’m doing any of it right. But then there are those quiet moments — when she leans into me, when her world slows down in my arms — and I realize… this is it. This is what matters. Being a mom means giving parts of myself I didn’t know I had, learning as I go, and loving deeper than I ever thought possible. It’s messy, beautiful, exhausting, and the greatest thing I’ve ever been.”
We just need a moment.
This is the truth of it. The messy, beautiful, exhausting truth. If you are a mom reading this right now: yes, you are doing it right. And you are doing a great job!
Not every mom story is a quiet one. Some are a testament to what a woman can build when she decides she is going to keep going, no matter what:
“My mother, Sandy, didn’t finish high school, but earned her GED, married and had children at a young age. She worked as a waitress at Rocko’s Italian Restaurant until her children were in school. Then she earned a certificate in college and began her career in Human Resources, climbing the corporate ladder. It wasn’t until I myself became a working mother that I truly understood how hard that job is. She worked all day, came home exhausted, then turned on ‘Mom-mode’ to cook dinner, help with homework, pick us up from practices and school activities. She was also my lifeline of support when I had my own child. And even now, as a retired great-grandmother, she helps my daughter tremendously while also taking care of my now-disabled father. She has been and still is a strong woman who blazed a trail for us who’ve followed in her footsteps.”
Sandy. A waitress turned HR executive turned great-grandmother who is still showing up every single day. If that is not Michiana strong, we do not know what is.
Sometimes the most moving tributes come not from a child looking up, but from a parent looking on with pride. This next submission was written about a daughter:
“This is my daughter. Her daughter is autistic. She works a full-time job, then comes home and takes care of her daughter, and she also does a side job at home to try to make extra money so she can get all the things that this child needs. She’s the most loving mother I’ve ever seen and I am so proud of her.”
A grandmother nominating her daughter. A mom who works full-time, hustles on the side and pours every bit of herself into giving her child everything she needs. We are proud of her too.
Then there are the moms who live so fully in the love of other people that it follows them everywhere, even into a hospital:
“My mom was full of love for her family and never met a stranger. She went in for colon cancer surgery and came out knowing all the nurses’ names and everything about their families. I’m still not sure how that happened! I was the only girl between 2 boys, and she was a mom at 17, but she did her best to raise us to be good people. She had a heart of gold and unfortunately she passed from dementia a year and a half ago. But she never forgot to tell me she loved me and appreciated everything I did for her. I was always her sweet girl. I was blessed to have her until she was 86. I have tried to instill all of her lessons into my kids and grandkids because she was the best.”
She went in for surgery and came out with new friends. That is a whole personality. That is a life lived in radical, effortless warmth. “I was always her sweet girl.” We felt that.
Grief and joy live right next to each other in motherhood. So do wonder and gratitude. This next one captures a feeling every parent recognizes the moment they read it:
“Christmas is great when you’re a kid, but nobody mentions how special it truly is when you’re a mom, to see the kids’ faces light up on Christmas morning. My kids are just so special to me. I know every mom would say that, but I would move heaven and earth for them just to see them smile. I am so proud of the people they are becoming. Each of them is going to contribute great things to this world in their own way.”
“I would move heaven and earth for them just to see them smile.” There is no follow-up needed there. That sentence is the whole of it.
We are closing with the one that honestly made us laugh out loud before it made us emotional, and that feels very on-brand for What’s Good in the Hood:
“My Mom gave birth to 6 children and was step-mom to 4 others — 10 kids total! She had 30 loads of laundry each week, 2 grocery carts a week, and made hot breakfast and dinner every day. She is also a grandmother to 31 kids. She is an amazing artist and a card shark to boot! She has the most beautiful soul. She is loved and respected by so many people — including all of her children’s friends, who were always welcome at the house. She never knew how many kids spent the night until she counted the number of shoes by the door. She is a big inspiration to everyone and we are blessed to have her as our Mom. (Lala is her nickname.)”
Ten kids. Thirty-one grandkids. Thirty loads of laundry every single week. And she counted heads by the shoes at the door. Lala, we do not know you personally, but we would absolutely eat breakfast at your table.
To every mom who submitted a story, wrote a note or just quietly loved somebody well, thank you. You are seen. You are celebrated. And you deserve every good thing.
To the Michiana community for showing up the way you always do, we should not be surprised anymore, but we always are. You are the reason this little corner of the internet feels like home.
Stay tuned for the contest winner announcement, coming soon. One lucky mom will be heading home with a beautiful care package from Taboo Beauty Collective, because she deserves it.
And in the meantime? If you are still looking for the perfect gift for the mom in your life, swing by My Deals Michiana, we have got deals and gift ideas to help you show her just how much she means to you.
Happy Mother’s Day, Michiana. 💙