By Iris Pendelton
A Mother’s Reflection: Go back and look at those baby pictures.
The tiny hands.
The soft smiles.
The innocence in their eyes.
Pause there for a moment—because in that space, something beautiful lives.
When I look back at those pictures, I’m reminded of moments I don’t always remember living.
Moments of tenderness. Moments of laughter. Moments of love that existed, even in the middle of chaos.
Because the truth is—
when you’re surviving pain, you don’t always get to experience the beauty of life in real time.
You’re trying to make it through. You’re holding everything together. You’re protecting, providing, enduring.
Sometimes, the weight of it all blurs the memories.
But those pictures remind me that even in the hardest seasons, love was still there.
That I was still showing up.
That they were still being loved.
And what I see now, looking at who they have become—
is not what that broken season built,
but what we made it through.
That time did not get to define them.
It did not get to take them.
It did not get to win.
They are here. They are whole. They are growing.
And so am I.
The Strength to Leave—and the Courage to Heal
My children helped me move past what I thought I never could.
Every time I look at them, I see that something good came from something painful.
Something beautiful came out of brokenness—and that something is them.
They are my reason for breathing.
The rhythm of my heartbeat.
A daily reminder that even after darkness, life can still produce light.
There was a time when I didn’t have the strength to leave for myself.
I was tired. I was worn down. I questioned my worth.
But then I looked at my children—and I found a strength I didn’t know existed.
I left for them.
And in that process, I started to find my way back to me.
To Every Mother Reading This
I dedicate this to you—the mother who keeps showing up, even when the world has no idea how heavy the load really is.
You are strong.
You are brave.
You are resilient in ways that words can’t capture.
You have done what you needed to do to keep your family going.
Even when you were hurting.
Even when you carried guilt and shame that were never yours to hold.
Even when you felt alone.
You kept going.
You survived.
And surviving is not small—it is strength.
This Mother’s Day: Forgive Yourself
Forgive yourself for what cannot be changed.
Forgive yourself for the moments you second-guess.
Forgive yourself for the decisions you made while trying to make it through.
Forgive yourself for surviving in the only way you knew how.
You did what you had to do.
And that matters.
Your story is not one of failure.
It is a story of endurance, love, sacrifice, and becoming.
When you look at your children, let them remind you:
You are still here.
You are still standing.
And you are still worthy—of healing, peace, and joy.
Happy Mother’s Day.
You are a survivor.
You are a mother.
And you are enough.
For survivor resources, community connection, and healing programs, visit breakthesilencedv.org. www.thehotline.org
