to all women

To the mothers.
To the aunts.
To the stepmothers.
To the women without children by choice or by circumstance.
To those who have adopted.
To those who foster.
To the women who longed to become mothers but couldn’t.
To those grieving a mother gone too soon.
To the ones with tiny frozen dreams waiting in labs.
To the pet moms.
To the businesswomen nurturing companies and communities.
To every woman who carries love in her heart and offers care to the world—

Society often tries to convince us that a woman without children is less than. But that is a lie. Because by nature, we nurture. Whether or not we give birth, our capacity to love, hold space, and show up for others is immense. It’s part of who we are.

My maternal grandmother was a mother to me.
My own mother is the perfect one for me.
Some of my closest sisters-by-love carry that tender, motherly presence.
I became an aunt through heart first—with Sasha, the son of my best friend, followed by two more sweethearts who became my heart’s nephews. And then, there are the two shining lights of my life: my niece and nephew. I melt in front of them—they only have to ask, and I’ll move mountains.

But if you ask me, that same fierce love lives in how I show up for my brother, for my mother, for my best friends, and for the people I work with. I pour into them, believe in them, hold them up when they forget how much they matter. That, too, is motherhood.

And yes—I’m a mother of nine frozen follicles in New York City. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet one of them in this lifetime. But I do know this: I am a safe place for the people I love. Especially those five children who know that Auntie Maiiiinnneee is always here—for the fun, for the deep talks, for the silliness and the stillness. And most of all, for the safety of being fully seen and loved.

If today feels tender, let it.
Wherever you are in your journey—however you feel—you are valid. You are worthy.
You are deeply, undeniably enough.

With love,
Always.
Marine Sélénée