Do you ever stumble into the bathroom early in the morning, still half asleep? You know... when the rest of the family is still snoozing, and the house is still quiet. You haven't had that first sip of coffee yet, so you're still in a fog. You use the bathroom, wash your hands, and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. There's just enough light coming from the night light your child insists that you leave on for them, for you to catch your early morning self, staring back at you in the mirror... and honey, it ain't pretty!

'Is that really me?' you ask yourself. You poke around at your face, smudging some of the leftover mascara or eyeliner from the day before. You think back to the days where you had free time in the evenings and enjoyed a nightly skin care regimen. Your fingers crawl up from your chin to your eyes, tracing the crow's feet that have started to settle in. You notice the dark circles, too, and recall the snoring spouse and teething baby that kept you up all night. 'What the hell happened to me?' you think- almost asking it out loud. 'I used to be so (insert youthful generalizations).' 

You begin to think back to ten, or maybe even twenty years ago, remembering all of the fun you used to have as a young adult. Motherhood has taken a toll, and your coin purse is just shy of being empty. The mom in the mirror may look rough, but the mom in the mirror is still you. Yes, you're still you. Your hair may be thinner, you may be heavier than you were in college, you may have scars from c-sections, deflated balloons where your perky chest used to be, and you may be so tired that the word 'mombie' becomes frighteningly real to you... but you're still you.

You're a mom. Maybe a wife, too. To your family, you're their everything. You've survived some pretty rough situations, and have found ways to make the best of some of the hardest seasons of life. The mom in the mirror isn't perfect and doesn't claim to be. The mom in the mirror needs a lot of grace. The mom in the mirror is the one being counted on... she's fearless, she's a pillar of strength, she's the glue that holds the family together, and even when she feels she's at her worst, she is still so beautiful.

Go ahead and take a good look in the mirror mommas... and show yourselves a little love. 

You are simply amazing, and God knew exactly what he was doing when he created you.

Get out there today and be a shining light in this dark world, for all to see.

Be beautiful. Be you.