Mother's Day

Sunday, May 8^th is Mother’s Day in the U.S.  With all the changes in our world community this past week, it’s not easy to focus on the local, the in-house, our own little piece of the world.  So, just for today, whether you’re a mom or not, please take this moment to just breathe.  Look up from your computer screen and glance around the room.  Are you surrounded by loved ones – 4-leggeds, 2-leggeds, scaley, feathers-covered?  Are you surrounded by scents of coffee and sounds of plates crashing and silverware clanging?  Are you surrounded by muffled announcements about code orange and suspicious luggage?  My hope is that while you may be surrounded by any of these things, you feel loved and secure inside. 

I am happily, and proudly, a daughter and daughter-in-law.  Though my mom passed away in 2003, and my mother-in-law passed away in 2009, I still feel their presence in my little world.  My mom’s artwork, the creativity she passed down to my sisters and I, features from her face that are on mine and the boys, are things that remind me of her.  We live on Kent Island, my mother-in-law’s beloved home town.  We are responsible for keeping an eye out for the osprey, the mallards and Canadian geese, the Chesapeake Bay, and the bunnies in the yard – all things she loved dearly and passionately. 

My dad and stepmom live in Livermore, Colorado.  While I really only get to see them once a year, I am reminded of them when I hear my kids laugh, when my youngest stands with his back to me, and when I read about our soldiers around the world.

I am happily, and proudly, the mother of 2 men.  It’s hard to believe they are men – it’s only been about 24-1/2 years since the oldest was an infant.  Where did the time go?  I know they turned out well because they are kind to others, their coworkers speak highly of them, other parents notice they are good people.  I also know they turned out well because they willingly cut the grass or take the dog to the vet on their day off when they are asked.  They still hold my hand – not because I am a doddering old mom, but because I extend my hand and they take it willingly. 

It’s days like today when we miss our moms and mothers-in-law the most.  You think about past  Mother’s Days, you hope your kids won’t forget, you think about your niece becoming a mom for the first time.  And then you realize, in spite of the world moving very fast around you, your small part of the world is also changing.  Change is a good thing.