Sometimes I forget that I’m still a mommy. Even though my children are grown and have active lives of their own, I care just as deeply for them as when they were five. And, now I have a daughter-in-law to add to my brood. I might be Mommy2, but in my heart she’s an important part of my family. Of course, she’s a mommy, too, so the coming Mother’s Day touches us all in some way.Although I hate how big business uses the day, I do love that there’s at least this celebration of motherhood, and smile when I remember back to the delicious breakfasts concocted by my children on that special Sunday morning. I loved it then. I love the memory now.
My daughter recently told us how much it meant to her that we are taking such good care of ourselves. This surprise comment meant a lot to us, and we talked about it with smiles after she’d gone home. All it takes to make someone feel good sometimes is one small sentence. A mere phone call or even text message is a simple gesture that could mean the world.
Relationships can get complicated with divorces, step children, single parenting and such, and everyone has a different mother circumstances. Some are not so rosy, but this much I know; regrets weigh you down, little by little anxieties accumulate. So many people lose their moms and dads before strained relationships are repaired, and they wish they’d said “I love you” one more time… or even for the first time.
I no longer have a mom to contact, but I’m re-posting this wonderful photo of the day three generations of women (my mom, my daughter, and me), laughed in the park together. I can still remember her vividly in my heart and love this playful photo of the three of us.
If you’re a mother, working or not, May 11 is a perfect excuse to celebrate yourself. Doesn’t making another human being — shoving them out into the world and hovering over their well-being for 18 years — merit a pat on the back? (If you’re a dad, well, that’s next month) Do whatever you love to do for the day. Just don’t work!