Saturday, May 12, 2007

Mother's Day Traditions

M... is for the million things she gave me,

O... means only that she's growing old,

T... is for the tears she shed to save me,

H... is for her heart of purest gold;

E... is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

R... means right, and right she'll always be.


Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
--Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

Last year I wrote a tribute to my dear mother. She deserves much praise and honor. I am forty years old and still have a hard time believing I am a mother. Sometimes I feel I am just playing at this role, but at heart I am still just a young girl. Do you ever feel that way?

When I was a mother of young children, Mother's Day was not much different for me than any other day. I cooked, I cleaned, wiped noses and bottoms. However, one year I remember a good friend of mine offering to babysit my toddler daughters for a few hours. When I returned home, there was a T shirt spread out on the table decorated with 'still wet' pink little hand and foot prints and a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY message written in colored glue across the top. I still wear this shirt every year. I remember feeling so grateful for that gift. That friend lives thousands of miles away from me and is still dear to my heart today.

If you are a mother of young children maybe you could begin a tradition with your family. Don't feel bad if you suggest it, yourself. Sometimes, a husband needs help because he just doesn't understand fully the thoughts of a woman. In our home, every year, we visit a nursery and choose flowers to plant in pots on our windowsills and balcony. I don't allow myself to buy flowers before this date. I asked for this tradition and my family obliged me. It's so nice to have something certain and beautiful to look forward to every Mother's Day. I know that my husband is happy that the plan is made in advance. My own mother buys a new wind chime every year. What do you like?

If your children have left the nest, or are still too young to show their love, please make sure that you experience something lovely on this day, even if you have to go to the local grocery store and buy your own bouquet of flowers. It's okay. Have a beautiful Mother's Day!

8 comments:

  1. We pretty much do the same thing every year and I love it! We always have a very special dinner (this year we are going out) with my mother hubbys mother and I plus boys) Hubby always gets me a beautiful bouquet and he and my mother get me something from the boys :-) I love the idea of planting flowers for the window sill!

    I hope you have a wonderful day full of many special moments and blessings!

    Hugs~
    Tiany

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  2. Christine12.5.07

    I don't feel anywhere close to 42! Some days I feel the pain, and look in the mirror and see a few wrinkles but in my brain, I'm still 20. A friend in her early 50's with her 1st grandchild born recently feels the same. How is it that we can look older, but feel young?
    Have a blessed Mother's day!

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  3. What a beautiful idea! I'm going to do that next year! This year my hubby and the kids brought me a scrumchious breako in bed! I was shocked!!!!!

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  4. Lovely thoughts! Happy Mother's Day to you!

    I don't feel I am very old either. I remember my mother at this age...I thought she was so old and wise! Ahem...She probably was but I feel I fall short in that department!

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  5. I had read it before and now again...that tribute to your mother is beautiful!

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  6. It's nice to know I'm not the only kid posing as an adult.

    Thanks, Keri and thanks to everyone for the Mother's Day wishes. It took nearly all day to find a place that sold a few flowers, but we did find them and then the kids made a nice supper for us. We dined outside and watched the sun set. Lovely!

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  7. It's nice to know I'm not the only kid posing as an adult.

    Thanks, Keri and thanks to everyone for the Mother's Day wishes. It took nearly all day to find a place that sold a few flowers, but we did find them and then the kids made a nice supper for us. We dined outside and watched the sun set. Lovely!

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  8. Anonymous15.5.07

    LindaFay,

    Just read the tribute to your mom for the 1st time. Now I know why you are so very well equipped for the work that you do. I didn't grow up with a mom like that. I struggle daily to do all that I now know that a mom should do. It is difficult trying to figure out how to do things that were never modeled for me very well. It is nice to have those that understand motherhood so well help me along the way. I used to just be jealous, but now I know that I had the perfect mother for me. It was the way it should be. Now I have a journey to travel and lots to relearn and a really good guide to help me along the way.

    Happy Mother's Day to you.
    C.

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