Mother's Day Rays of Sunshine

I used to visit teach a dear friend named Sherrie, who is actually as old as my mom, but we have such a delightful bond. She is a wonderful person and we have so much in common. Sherrie gave me a very wise insight about Mother's Day. She had noted that she had four sons, an energetic and happy bunch, yet they were clueless when it came to remembering their mother or doing something heartfelt and thoughtful. (She had boys, you all with boys know how that is.) She said that for many years she felt bad that all the mothers with girls received such a wonderful Mother's Day filled with sweet handmade gifts and thoughtful acts of service and gratitude, and never felt quite appreciated enough. One year, she decided to change her perspective. She decided that Mother's Day wasn't about how much she should be pampered, but about how great a mother she should be. She said that has made all the difference in the world. That wonderful spark of insight has given me new wings as a mother for the last few years, and I definitely needed it this year.

Everyone has busy lives, and I know I am not the only one who is busy or has special circumstances. But for the last month, I have been trying to pick up the slack where there was nothing to grab with. Danny studied and took finals for three weeks at the end of April and into May, and was gone every day and into most nights. He finished his finals and then tied up a few loose ends and drove off to Maryland where he would begin an internship with a law firm there. (I am so proud of him, by the way. He is doing so well in school and this opportunity is fantastic.) He would be gone for two weeks, leaving me to care for the children and run the household alone while Lexie finished school. It just so happened to be that he was also absent over Mother's Day. Now, I really don't want to complain about it, I know it is relatively short in the grand scheme of life, and so many other women do it on their own all the time. But my friend Sherrie's wisdom really helped me feel like Mother's Day this year would be my day to shine. And of course, it did have its ups and downs, because children never seem to remember that a day should be special unless something is happening to them. Danny sent me beautiful flowers, which I received Saturday, and they lasted for a good while to cheer me whenever I saw them.

Aren't they lovely? I also had so many friends recognize that I was on my own for a while and had several offers of support and dinner invitations. Thank you to all who so constantly are looking to lend a hand of compassion, even when I am not ill or at loss. My friend Mindy heard about my lonely Mother's Day, and set up one last barbeque to celebrate the mothers and say goodbye (as so many people were moving on the next week after graduation.)
We had a fun little gathering, here are all the moms. (Front: Laurel and Bonnie R., Back: Missy, Aly, Mindy, and me.) I will have another post paying tribute to all my friends who have moved this last week.

I often get so caught up in the constant list of tasks to do in order to care for my children and the house and everything else on my plate. I don't mean to get after the kids when they do something wrong or get frustrated with them. (Church on Mother's Day was particularly difficult with my sick 10 month old kept awake during naptime as I was trying to set up Primary and then sit through a lesson...lesson learned: never forget to bring the binky to church!) But all in all, I am grateful for the life's work that being a mother entails. Children are truly the life and energy that keep the world growing and progressing. And the job of a mother is sometimes taken for granted, so I want to tell my mom and all the moms in my life a big thank you. Thank you for always being there offering love, support, guidance, and help whenever needed, even if I acted like I didn't want it. I am so glad to have these three beautiful and intelligent little beings to mother and nurture and I hope they will bear with me as I develop these attributes of patience and compassion (and so many more) along the way.

Here are my little rays of sunshine blessing me on Mother's Day this year.