Motherhood: Sorority Unexpected

I unknowingly joined the hardest sorority roughly five years ago. Getting in a sorority is usually the most challenging part where pledges have to do ridiculous stuff to be granted inclusion. This club is different the initial getting in is dare I say, fun. Not every member chooses to stay. Some brave souls realize they are not yet ready for the duties of this particular sisterhood and opt to allow another sister to care for the responsibility she once carried. I love these women from the bottom of my heart for knowing where they are and for reaching out for help. Other sisters get gripped with fear and choose to remove her responsibilities. I love these women too, deeply, my heartaches for them. Before joining I was unaware of the intense camaraderie that this sorority brought. I had been observing from the outside my whole life, thinking I understood but I didn’t have a clue.

Looking back I am grateful I was brought into this sorority when I was. Every sister has their own journey, their own story. Some have known they wanted to join since they were little girls; others were brought in with a bit of an aggressive shove. My story is filled with a bit more happenstance, I wasn’t exactly looking for it but I wasn’t vehemently opposed to the possibility of joining. For the first few years I felt isolated and alone in my journey but I have come to realize if you look in the right places there are sisters right where you are, others a bit further ahead and some who have made it completely through.

Each sister is powerful and able to encourage one another. The ones who are in your pledge class or near it are great for solidarity moments when you feel all alone. Those who were a few pledges ahead of you are great to tell you that you will make it through; that there is light at the end of the tunnel you are in. The sisters who have made it all the way through are awesome to come lend a hand, reminisce and to remind us that we won’t always be this active in the club – and that fact when you are in the trenches is truly bittersweet.

To deny the difficulties would be to belittle the beauty of where I am. The trenches of this glorious sorority called Motherhood are all consuming, ever demanding but more than the downsides it is full of a euphoria you didn’t know existed. The sweet laughter of your little one will grip your downtrodden soul and lift it to the highest of heights. A kiss from your babe may be more healing than a mother’s kiss on a boo boo. Watching you tiny human grow, develop and become who they are intended to be is better than anything Hollywood could dream of putting out.

So, sisters, I see you. I stand with you. I by no means have it all together or expect you to. Your way may be different than mine and that is the greatness of motherhood, there is no right way; learn from your sisters don’t attack when they do it another way. Let us become the fiercest group of women who hold each other up, cheer each other on and cover our differences with grace and love.