Mother's Day

Dearest Children,

There was a time when Mother’s Day was equivalent to the best of all holidays.  This was because it was a day that I was guaranteed a meal that I didn’t have to cook and I got to spend time in whatever manner I chose. Yes, this often meant you had to go to the local garden center with me and haul plants first thing on a Sunday morning. It also included a stop at Starbucks so everyone would have a good sugar rush for an hour or so. I don’t think the caffeine ever quite negated the fact that you were up before noon on a Sunday, but hey, it was Mother’s Day and you couldn’t complain.

So it may come as a surprise that I’ve been thinking about this and feel differently than in years past.  I know this isn’t nice of me – I finally get you all trained to stumble bleary eyed through the rows of plants and now I want to do something different?

Did I ever teach you that life was fair? I think not.

Here’s the thing: I get that quiet time to myself a lot now.  I’m not running around like a crazy person trying to raise three kids, clean, cook, volunteer, and work; be a friend, daughter, wife, student, sister, event coordinator, accountant, chauffeur, travel agent or counselor.  With two of you living on your own and the youngest of you now driving – my current job position is nothing like what it used to be.  I’ve retained the job title – mom – but what goes with that has shifted into something a little more intangible.

This is what I want for Mother’s Day this year:

I want you to listen.

To you, my oldest:

For today, this Mother’s Day, I want you to set aside your worries and fears – and simply feel the wonder and beauty of your life.  You are a blessing and you have been blessed. Just for today, set down the burden of decisions and choices, feel the lightness in your own being. Look into the eyes of your beloved and feel how beautiful love is. Set aside your worries and let the sun warm your face.  Come on over and share a glass of wine and a laugh or two. Tell me a dream or two and I’ll share a couple of my own. I have no fears for you, no worries – just love and a deep admiration for the man you’ve become.

To you, my oldest daughter:

Today, dear girl, I would like you to admit to yourself that you are absolutely awesome. Keep on fine-tuning what balance looks like to you.  Keep being the honest, passionate, beautiful woman that you are.  Smooth edges are for soft people –  keep honing those brilliant edges that define your vibrant self.  The woman who is the artist is she who can see beyond what everyone else sees.  That takes a rare courage – something I don’t think you’ve ever really seen in yourself.  So – just for today – admit to yourself how brave and brilliant you are.  And then go curl up in the sun for a nap. Preferably with a cat.

To my youngest:

Sweet pea, you have a beautiful heart filled with empathy, kindness and a boundless compassion.  Today, give some of that compassion and kindness right back to the heart that gives so freely to others. Listen to that heart and yet also keep using your newfound wisdom that comes from understanding that not everyone else around you can see the light in others like you can.  For today, find your light and cherish it. Keep seeking what gives you strength and what calms your fears.  My arms are open and I’ll keep practicing releasing you out into the world that is calling you forward.

Being your mother has given me the opportunity to learn the most important lessons in life. Each of you has graced me with the most incredible blessings possible.  I may have given each of you life but you’ve given me a rich and wonderful life too.

With love,

Your mom