Mom’s Day Reflections ‘08

Are you a mother? Happy Mother’s Day!

Do you have a mother? Well, thank the good Lord for her! And thank her for how good you turned out! I’ll bet she worked very hard.

We had a very nice day today and I hope the same for you. Because I had called my husband home early from his turkey hunting trip and because I had consequently taken a store-bought turkey out of the freezer to thaw and because I had dutifully noted it was an enormous bird—80-90 pounds, easily—we thought we’d see if some friends were game (ha) for a last-minute get-together this afternoon.

These are some good friends, I tell you. Not only did they agree to our invitation despite the incredibly short notice—as in stopping them after Mass this morning and saying, “Please, please come! We’ll be a sad and pathetic crew without you!” —anyway, not only did they agree to come, they also brought an incredible Pentecost cake with them (see the tongues of fire?), an incredible bottle of wine, an incredible bunch of brownies, and an incredible bunch of kids.

Here we are—a motley crew, but happy. Can you pick out the loner mom amidst the kids?

And here’s that same loner mom with the balloons that her husband brought home on Friday. “Happy Mother’s Day!” he exclaimed, and I was so very pleased…until I noticed his company’s new logo prominently displayed upon the bouquet. I love my husband. He is totally cute to have lugged those home for me.

“I have feet growing out of my head!”

Here’s another close-up of that amazing cake. I will tell you that my Weight Watcher’s points went right out the window as I more or less buried my face in the slice I served me…but you don’t need to see a photo of that and I wouldn’t ask you to.

I did, however, ask one of my friends to give me a quick neck massage before I’d agree to serve dessert. “Just a couple of good squeezes right here,” I’m saying. “I’ve been really tense.” You can see how indifferent she is to my request.

Fine. I conceded to take a photo but was not all that awake for it.
As you can see.

In this last shot you will note that my friend is maybe just maybe agreeing to massage out those kinks. Either that or she was just posing for a friendly photo. Dang it, she was just posing for a friendly photo.

I call this one Moms R Us.

Are we cute or what? And am I fishing for a serious compliment or what?

Anyway. These are some scenes from my day today. I’d like to close with a few last reflections because what would a Mother’s Day post be without them? It would be…well, it would probably be just fine, but I’m going to sling a few reflections your way anyway.

I did not wake up to any homemade cards this morning. That’s okay; they made them this afternoon.

I did not wake up to breakfast in bed because, to be honest, I was up long before the rest of the family. This is the sad truth on almost every occasion that might merit breakfast in bed for Mom, which is just as well because they don’t make my coffee strong enough anyway.

And finally, I did not wake up to any presents from the children. (They are not to be faulted for this omission as neither their dad nor I had taken them out to get some.) Surprise! I picked out my own gift at the store last night! “Would you like these earrings in a gift bag?” the saleslady asked. “Yes, please,” I replied. “Are both pairs going to the same person?” she continued. “Yes,” I said, and smiled demurely.

No, my day was practically perfect in every way.

To tell you the truth, I think that I should be giving a gift to the kids and not vice versa. They have made me who I am and for that I’m thankful.

I am thankful for the vases of yellow dandelions (dead and otherwise) that line my kitchen windowsill. They tell me I still have little girls, and that they still see the beauty behind the weeds.

I am thankful for the new packs of gym socks and cotton briefs that I bought at Kohl’s last evening. This purchase tells me I still have little boys and that I still get to buy their socks and underwear for them…except my boys are not so little anymore and the size on the package keeps going up.

And finally, I am thankful for that handsome man who took my hand some twelve short years ago and who with his love and faith made me the mom I am. It took some bravery on his part to say “I do”, and he continues to say “I do” with every child.

Happy Mother’s Day to you & yours! May you count your blessings today and always, and may you know and see how much you’re loved.

Ad Jesum per Mariam, (because you know full well she understands us mothers),