Padraig Martin (@PadraigMartin)

Mother's Day 2026 Today, most of our children are grown and the "Happy Mothers Day" messages have been coming into my wife's phone slowly throughout the morning. Some flowers arrived for her on Friday and Saturday. For my part, after church, I will finish building out a new laundry room that she has wanted for a long time. Unfortunately, I could not send my own mother flowers. It has been seven years since my mother passed away. I did, however, send flowers to our girls who have since become mothers themselves. I watch as they go through the same ups and downs of being a new mom for the first time to our granddaughters. It is hard to imagine as I look at my wife - confident and comfortable in her feminine maternal role - that she was once like our toddler granddaughters. She picked dandelions, dragged around baby dolls, scrapped up her knees, and ran toward her mother crying. She was once little and vulnerable. Now she is a beautiful matriarch - resolute and confident. In watching my wife, I also get a glimpse into my own mother. She was once a little girl who grew into motherhood and one day became a grandma. So many babies fell asleep in her arms. It would have been nice for her to have lived long enough to become a great grandma, but that was not God's Will. As I sit here typing away and sipping my coffee, I think of all the women in my life - grandmothers, mother, mother-in-law, wife, daughters, granddaughters - and I think of the many blessings they have conferred upon me throughout my life. It all began as little girls growing into women - women whom I have loved and I thank God for them. Motherhood is a statement from God that things will be alright. The first person you meet in this world is the person who bore the most pain to bring you into it. She will be the first to fully embrace you. She will be the first to feed you. She will be the first to love you. Motherhood is a declatory statement that human life will continue. It may not be easy, but life is worth it. Every mother is a sign of God's love. Today I will finish that room I have been promising my wife. I will watch her take calls from the kids in between planting the new flowers we bought. I will love the mother of our children more today than I did yesterday. Happy Mother's Day to all of those women fortunate to have children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. God Bless, Padraig Martin