Peace Comes Through Understanding and Acceptance

Mothering a child that isn't your own is no easy task. This boy, who was raised by his father, has become a central part of my life, and yet it seems like a treacherous path that I am walking. Loving this boy takes me on a journey that will be unlike the journey I will embark on with my own kin. Loving this boy means opening my heart in a new way...and it's scary. Will he appreciate my efforts? Will he understand what's true? Will he reject me? Supporting a child that is learning to live in two worlds is not simple, but my love for this small human grows stronger everyday.

To love a child when you are hated and dismissed by the biological mother is becoming my greatest lesson on strength, surrender, and love. To be kind and grounded when another person reacts from a place of pain and fear and hurts my family, is the hardest task I have ever been faced with. A war inflicts pain and sorrow on everyone.

I slowly and painfully learn to live by Gandhi's resolutions.

I shall not fear anyone on Earth.

I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.

I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.

I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.

-Mahatma Gandhi

I have a such an unwavering respect for the step mothers in my life.