Your journey hasn’t stranded you in the dark, I promise. It’s just thrown a plot twist your way. I skipped ahead. Brighter days are coming! How do I know for sure? Because I’ve been in that same darkness and come out on the other side. Some days, I fought harder than others. Some days? I didn’t fight at all. But more often than not, I fought. For myself. For my sanity. For motherhood. And now? I fight for others. I’m fighting for you, right now. You got this because you aren’t alone.

(Lauren Hale)

There is no shame in getting lost in the dark.

It took me a long time to figure that out for myself.

Know that you are loved.

Understood. Valued. Supported. Believed. And never, never alone.

(Pauline Campos)

Dear mama,

We see you, struggling so hard. We feel you, with the weight of so much on your tender heart. We are here for you, even when you can’t look up enough to see us back. We stand together, we hold you close, and we promise you, that with this community of acceptance and love we offer you, you will survive. Just call on us, we’ll pull you through. Even when you feel you disappeared, we see you.

(Alexandra Rosas)

Dear Mama,

Our babies shine light on love we never knew we could feel; motherhood can also hurt in places we didn’t know existed. Undiscovered places suddenly come alive with pain, sometimes within a minute of feeling that surely, our hearts have grown three sizes. This morning, my knee hurts–an old breastfeeding injury. No joke!

Please know that whatever you feel, whenever you feel it, we are here for you. It is safe to tell us. We will not mock you, and chances are, we are kinder than that critical “voice” in your head.

Share your joy, love, pain, and let it go. Let others see it. Practice early and often, because the only lesson I know that applies to all mothers is that there sure are a LOT of feelings involved in this Mom thing.

(Anne-Marie Linsay)