Mother's Day
This Mother’s Day I continued a ritual I started a few years back. I get or make cards for the mothers in my life that I love & admire. Now, I can’t afford all the cards I want to get, of course! But the process of listing out the women currently & in my history who’ve given generously of themselves reminds me how blessed I am. I have such a lovely little collection of influences!
Several moms of my girlfriends growing up were so good to me. Some of the Moms I send to are now widowed and/or their children grown. Some Moms are new and some are mid-journey like me. We all could use a hug sometimes, ya know? Once I became a mother I realized that mothering’s one of those jobs that society seems to deem “noble” like being a minister or a teacher. What that really means is there’s a lot of lip service to how great it is, but the pay is generally crummy. So I thought what’s MY responsibility to the Moms in my world? Listen, sending cards will not save the world, but I hope it sends blessings. Small acts of love count.
I send as many cards & notes as I can. I try not to beat myself up over not being able to do more. I try to keep it simple & send my love for each Mother’s loving example to me. Doing this keeps me grateful and encouraged that maybe I do more good as a Mom than just my own kiddos. Many women do not have families who bother to celebrate them on Mother’s Day. We can’t change that. I just think if we, who know the job intimately, reached out & offered a little encouragement once a year that it’d do a world of good.
Comments
I really love your idea about sending cards to worthy mothers that might not be in your immediate family. There are tons of mom's who are deserving (and might not get one otherwise!).
Frankly, with email, most of us don't sit down to really HAND WRITE anymore.
I like your insights. They are genuine.
Posted by: Debbie | May 17, 2006 11:12 AM
Happy Mother's Day! What a great site!!
Posted by: Charlotte | May 18, 2006 08:28 AM