To the Momma sitting in the dark, tears streaming down your face, you are not alone. Whatever brought you to this place, you are not alone.

Maybe it’s the words someone said or the words you wish you hadn’t

Maybe it’s another eye roll and door slam by your teen, or another weak momma moment due to your trying toddler

Maybe it’s the fight with your spouse over the strains of parenthood or the ache over forgetting to bake cookies for your 5th graders class party

Maybe it’s the anger and impatience inside you that you just couldn’t contain or the frustration of always holding in your truth

Maybe it’s the heartbreak of sending your first-born to kindergarten or dropping your last off at college

Maybe it’s wishing you could for once lose the weight, or wishing that you still felt the weight of a baby growing inside you

Maybe it’s the concern you feel over your child’s mental health, or the fear you carry about the debilitating pain in your own body

Maybe it’s the heaviness of guilt over your less than moments or the reality of a long and challenging road ahead

Maybe it’s because you have so many emotions inside you that some need to be cried out to make room for more

Maybe it’s simply because your heart is overjoyed and full of gratitude for the life God’s given you

Momma, whatever it is that has tears streaming down your face, you’re not alone

At some point or another, we are all sitting in the dark, crying in the stillness. It’s in these sacred spaces that motherhood and all it represents lives and breathes. This holy ground is where we learn to appreciate one another’s profound journey. Where we pray for our own strength and guidance and wish it for others.

Here in this place, we sit next to one another in collective spirit, wiping away the anguish from each other’s faces and celebrating the immeasurable joys of this role we share

You are not alone, Momma

Although our personal experiences are each unique, our hearts beat to the same soul-bending and life-giving drum

If you are dealing with all kinds of momma emotions, download 3 FREE Chapters of Shelby's new book with Lisa Leshaw, How Are You Feeling, Momma? (You don't need to say, "I'm fine.")