In honor of Mother's Day, I sat down with my mom Jane to talk about what it was like to raise me and my siblings. Growing up poor in Appalachia, my mother showed us through her actions how important family and education were. As the wife of a career police officer, my mother was able to get her master's degree while raising three children and caring for her elderly mother. She hustled working multiple jobs for many years to put food on the table, and she still made time to make homemade baby food, hand sew costumes, outfits and cabbage patch kids, and generally be the best mother ever. Oh, and then there was that one time she had a baby in the front yard. Happy Mother's Day to my fierce, resilient, compassionate, giving mother Jane.

SPECIAL EPISODE. Today's show features Jen, a mother who has a disabled son. Her and her husband found out during her mid-pregnancy ultrasound that their son would have major facial deformities, and after consulting experts in the field, had James at a facility three hours from their home to ensure he would live. James has to be hooked up to a ventilator every night in order for him to breathe. It is lifesaving equipment, and it is expensive. James is a "lifetime limit" baby. He hit the million dollar mark - the lifetime cap the insurance companies had in place before the ACA - when he was fourteen days old. If you like Affordable Care Act, please listen. If you do not like the Affordable Care Act, please listen. If you are pro-life or pro-choice or Republican or Democrat or Independent, please listen. And please share. Her story is important. Her son's life depends on the A.C.A.

Jenny and her husband have two beautiful boys, but there have been bumps on their parenthood journey. Jenny suffered a miscarriage in her first pregnancy, and felt as though she was not supposed to talk about her loss or even have feelings. Through her second pregnancy, she hoped for a natural childbirth at a birthing enter, but after more than twenty hours and the diagnosis of infection, she rushed to the hospital and had to have an emergency c-section. Also, after suffering from debilitating migraines for many years, she made the decision on the advice of medical specialists to undergo a hysterectomy. All of these challenges have made her stronger. Her hope is that by talking openly about her struggles, more mothers will feel that they have permission to feel their feelings and talk about the more difficult parts of parenthood.

Maria and her husband are the parents of four children. A military family, they decided early on in their marriage to pursue adoption when they had retired. After months of paperwork and investigation, the family welcomed a baby boy into their home from China. Born with a cleft palate, Maria faced a unique set of challenges bringing him home. As conservative Christians, Maria and her husband decided before their children went to public school that they would home-school instead, and they have been on many mission trips as a family. She tells me about their adoption process, what life is like as a home-school mother, and making parenting decisions always keeping in mind their faith.

How do you build your life back after making the biggest mistake you've ever made? How do you do it while being a parent? Rocki is the ultimate tale of redemption. After spending two years in federal prison, Rocki regained custody of her children and built her life back out of the ashes. She met other mothers in prison and shared their love and grief, and became a successful businesswoman, upstanding member of her community and mother following her release. It's an incredible story.

Suzanne and her husband raised four artistic, creative, independent children and were preparing to enjoy retirement when they received a phone call that changed their lives. They became foster parents and legal guardians to their three granddaughters while their daughter and son-in-law sought treatment for addiction. The children came to live with them on Suzanne's 60th birthday. She talks about the grief of not knowing how to help their daughter during her darkest days, being overwhelmed and unprepared for raising three little girls, and the hard climb back to normalcy for the whole family.

Nicole has always felt a strong sense of community and helping those in need. As a member of many boards, a volunteer for many causes, and a champion of people with disabilities, prominent members of the community began asking her to run for elected office. So that's just what she did. While serving her community as a city council member, Nicole found her soulmate (another public servant) and the two have been together ever since. She talks about her very first campaign, the joys and challenges of being a public servant, and where she sees her public life go from here (including a possible run for the Maryland House of Delegates.)

Kristin and her daughter we a team of two until she met and married her husband and the family dynamic changed. She was also determined to get her undergraduate degree and then her masters degree even while being giving birth and raising two more daughters. Now a teacher, Kristin is facing the looming responsibility of sending her oldest off to college, knowing that these are the last months her daughter will be home. Her daughter also lived through a horrific incident during school that made them all reevaluate empathy and forgiveness. Her story is as multifaceted as it is encouraging.

Lauren had no intention of ever becoming a parent. A successful business owner, she decided early not to have children. Then she met and eventually fell in love with a man who had full custody of his three kids. Wanting to make sure they "did it right," Lauren and her husband took it slow and formed meaningful relationships with his children. Then they married, and everything changed. Lauren talks about the growing pains of marrying a family, and how she made it work raising teenagers not biologically her own.

There are so many paths to becoming a parent. Bre and her husband have been able to become parents thanks to in vitro fertilization. The mother to a daughter and a son, Bre explored IVF after her and her husband went through testing to determine their fertility. Bre has become an advocate for parents who are traveling the road of IVF. She also wrote a blog about her journey, and is active in supporting parents who are in the process of getting pregnant through IVF. Her blog: http://onestepatatime-bre.blogspot.com/