- I never know what to say on Mother’s Day because it’s all the things: A moment of happiness, of sadness, of frustration, of both missing and celebrating loved ones, of joy, and of….this year in particular… action.

So I’ll start out with my first thought:

I invite you to take a deep breath – maybe take three big inhales in and three big exhales out – and know that the now more than 1.2 MILLION active members of MomsRising, who live in every state in the nation, are with you through the sweat, the tiredness, the joy, the courage, the frustrations, the activism, and the love of motherhood on this Mother’s Day and every day.

There would be no MomsRising without you. Thank you. And there would be no powerful wave of “momming” action changing the direction of our nation for the better without the nearly 1.2 million of us together.

Today my mind is on “momming” because this Mother’s day week (and every week), we’ve been the definition of “momming” the nation.

Definition (Yes, I just wrote this right now, so it’s still a work in progress): Momming. Verb. A parent who rises every day to build a better life for their children – and for all children.

Real Life Example From THIS Week: Moms from 22 states representing moms from EVERY state were powerfully momming the nation in Washington, D.C. this week reminding Republican leaders in Congress that in order to build good lives and boost the economy we need Medicaid for our families, childcare for our communities, paid family and medical leave in our lives, and fair tax policies that don’t give billionaires even more tax breaks (which are paid for by cutting the policies that allow us to go to work, raise our kids, and contribute to our communities). *A big thank you to all the many members of Congress who joined us — and who are fighting for moms and families each & every day!

Outcome: You. Are. Being. Heard: Republican leadership in Congress were supposed to bring up a bill to slash Medicaid (which covers the healthcare of more than 72 million people) this week – but they didn’t have enough votes to do it because your voice, our voices, moms and people across the nation are making a difference with our calls, our visits to members of Congress, our stories, and our persistence.

Next Step For You, Me & Us Today: Keep the MOMentum going! Together we’ve caused Republican leadership to delay their plans to cut Medicaid, childcare, Head Start and more. But this fight is far from over. It’s all about persistence. So take a moment on Mother’s Day to sign here to tell Republican-led leadership NOT to pass a bill that gives $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to the super rich (think Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg) and mega-corporations, and pay for them by making massive cuts to Medicaid, Head Start, food stamps (SNAP), K-12 education, and other vital programs that allow parents to go to work, raise their children, and contribute to the community.

*Check out these inspiring pictures of momming in action this week – and take action too to keep the MOMentum up by clicking the picture:

And on this Mother’s Day week of action, I’ve also been thinking a lot about courage – and the fact that courage is contagious. Your courage is contagious each time you make a call to Congress, face daunting tasks like figuring out how to get dinner on the table every night and how to map the fastest pickup routes between work and childcare – and each time you share your story with a leader, speak out, and take on the day.

When people who are momming and feeling alone around you see your courage, your courage sparks courage around you.

We all know it, but on Mother’s Day we’re saying it out loud together: Moms have to lead with courage every day in a nation (and world) where the system is stacked against us. We do hard things every day. And the very, very good thing about courage is that it is contagious. It is contagious in our own communities, and it is contagious as we engage our elected leaders in Congress last week, yesterday, tomorrow and in the days, weeks, and months to follow.

We are so grateful for you, for bringing all your “momming” persistence to building a better tomorrow. People power is what matters, and when we have a courageous group of moms, we know that it's not a question of if we will win, but when we will win.

* Here's that action again - Click here to sign the petition and tell Republican-led leadership NOT to pass a bill that gives $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to the super rich and mega-corporations.

Thank you to YOU and to all the moms, parents, and elected leaders who are speaking up, sharing their stories, taking action, and making a BIG difference! It’s working!

Know that you’re not alone in fighting for a better tomorrow for our families on this Mother’s Day and every day.

Grateful for you,

Kristin

P.S. It’s a great day to treat yourself (or a friend) to the perfect gear for "momming" – check out our Spring merch collection today!

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.