Today is the International Women’s Day.  Of course it is nice to have a day to reflect upon the many contributions women have made to the advancement and protection of the human race and the world around us.  It is hard to imagine that 100 years ago American women still were not voting. We’ve come a long way thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of so many women (and men).  I am grateful to live in a time and place where I can pursue any goal I set my mind to.  I know my sisters in other parts of the world are not nearly as fortunate.

When I went to Google this morning, I noticed the Google doodle depicted women performing a wide range of occupations, including astronaut, scientist, teacher and firefighter. All noble professions, indeed!

But, one profession was missing.

Mother.

Yes, women can do everything men can do, especially in the professional realm. But, the one thing that only women can do – giving life and sustaining it – doesn’t rank as highly in importance according to Google (and many others, the way I see things). Wouldn’t it have been nice for Google to doodle a woman nursing her infant? Or a pregnant woman rubbing her belly? Why can’t a mother be included with her other hard working sisters??

Stay-at-home moms, working moms, single moms, married moms, older moms, younger moms, new moms, experienced moms…we work hard for our families and we work hard for ourselves. On International Women’s Day, we deserve a little extra love, right??!

Because, after all, even though women like Susan B Anthony and Marie Curie inspire me to reach higher than I think I can, the woman who inspires me most on a daily basis is…my mother.