LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
I sat in a church pew with a smile plastered on my face, gritting my teeth against the tingling at the back of my throat, quelling the tears threatening to spill. I was doing my best to celebrate Mother’s Day and all the incredible moms in my life though my heart wasn’t really in it. I wanted to be a mom, too. And I wasn’t. Yet. That was the day I realized Mother’s Day can be hard. I became a mom more than a year af- ter that day, not a long wait compared to what many others endure in their journey to mother- hood. Every Mother’s Day since, even as I’ve reveled in the awe of being called mama by my three wild wonders, I’ve had a heightened awareness of the grief this day can harbor. Does the holiday feel bittersweet for you, too? Maybe even more so this year thanks to the strangeness of our current reality. For me, there is pain in the loss of women who mothered me and greatly influenced the mom I would become. Every year I feel heartbroken for moms missing babies or women who desperately want to become moms. But there is unbridled joy, too, in simply being mom to three beautiful children who love me unconditionally, forgive my many imperfections and mistakes and remind me there is always, always happiness to be found if I will only seek it. There’s great depth of gratitude in finally understanding my own mom’s sacrificial love for me. (Thanks, mom!) There’s inspiration and encouragement from the other moms around me, too, women like our three Awesome Moms on page 10, supporting others, serving our city and raising the next generation of community advocates. This Month’s Cover Ava, 8, has an eye for design, fashion and composition and was thrilled to help direct her own Cover Kids photoshoot at the Myriad Gardens in February. Ava is in the second grade at Soldier Creek Elementary School in Midwest City. She is a dancer, with ballet and contemporary her favorite styles, and she also loves to craft and make slime. Ava is the daughter of Phillip and Beverly, and, under typical circumstances, the family enjoys frequenting Unpluggits Paint & Play, Jump!Zone and the OKC Zoo.
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Publisher Sarah Taylor Managing Editor Erin Page Assistant Editor Lindsay Cuomo Contributing Writers Simi John Thai-An Truong Contributing Photographer Bridget Pipkin Art Director Stacy Noakes Senior Project Manager Kirsten Holder Director of Events Marissa Raglin Sales Dana Price Laura Beam Office Manager Kathy Alberty
MOTHER’S DAY 2018 WITH THE THREE WHO MADE ME A MOM.
Whatever feelings Mother’s Day kindles for you, I hope you’ll take the space and time to acknowledge them, whether that means you’ll be celebrating, grieving or like me, some of both. With gratitude,
Erin Page Managing Editor
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MetroFamily Magazine is published monthly. Copyright 2019 by Inprint Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Articles and advertisements in MetroFamily do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or Inprint Publishing, Inc. We do not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by MetroFamily does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services, or information. We do not knowingly present any product or service which is fraudulent or misleading in nature.
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