Mother's Day is coming.
Just as the snow of winter has left us (mostly), Mother's Day is indeed coming fast upon us on May 11. Around the mall card shops, jewelry stores and clothing retailers there is a mad scramble by husbands and children everywhere from east to west, and north to south, looking for that perfect gift or gifts for the women in their lives.
That begs the question:
How do you plan on honouring that special mother, grandmother or wife in your life?
Flowers? Jewelry? Dinner, or dinner and a movie out? A vacation? A skill saw?
When Mother's Day rolls around, if you haven't picked up that special something, chances are a card and a well meant “Happy Mother's Day” will escape your lips and your significant other, mother, or daughter will thank you, will then go shopping for their own gift.
With a little planning and thought, Mother's Day can be a special occasion for everyone in your life.
First, a couple of facts.
Without mothers, we would not be here.
Without mothers, we would not be able to celebrate our daughters and sons and their achievements in life.
However, their role in our lives often transcends their obvious contributions to society.
A society without mothers would be like a beach without sand, a sunset without the sun, or a life without joy. Fathers are important too, but fathers bring something different to a family environment.
Mothers, by nature, are more nurturing than men. They teach tenderness more naturally. They model caring, protective relationships differently than fathers can. When it comes to mother-daughter time, there is no substitute, only a mother will do. When boyfriend-girlfriend issues come up, only mothers can usually pick up the pieces.
That is not to say that fathers cannot be sensitive, caring, and supportive. We just do it differently. We are wired differently, and that is good. Successful relationships and families are built with individuals who make the other more successful in every avenue of life.
I am reminded of a Road to Avonlea Mother's Day episode when heroine Sara Stanley writes a composition for an essay contest on mothers. Hetty King, Sara's adopted mother, does not want anything written about her as a mother, but Sara is determined.
She writes:
“When I go to bed in the evening, she is there. When I get up in the morning, she is waiting. When I need comfort, she is always there. If I need to talk, she will listen. ”
Sara captures the soul of Hetty in a few words that reach deep into the heart of anyone who has a mother or is a mother.
To a wandering soul, mothers draw you back in and give you a rock to hang onto. For the broken-hearted, a mother can turn your tears into dream catchers for the future. For the weary of spirit, a mother can pick up your flagging ambitions and light new fire under them. For the hungry, a warm chocolate chip cookie is perfect. For the disenchanted, a caring ear eases many burdens.
For the mothers, grandmothers and daughters among us:
Without you, we are nothing. Were it not for your caring spirit that shows up when we least expect it, and most need it, we would be lost. Without your open hearth and heart, the world would be a far less compassionate place.
Happy Mother's Day.
We love you.
