Thanks, Mom!

Holidays and special occasions abound. Opportunities exist almost monthly to remember or honor a special person or group of people. At times, these days can become taxing, as their commercialization produces pressure to overspend or fulfill seemingly impossible expectations.

However, Mother’s Day happens to be one of my favorites. Selfishly, I relish the thought of choosing my favorite restaurant for Sunday lunch and being spoiled all day by my husband and sons.

Mother’s Day is also a time to reflect on my own mom and how special she is to me!

Not an easy child in my younger years, I often challenged my parents. Yet their constant discipline eventually produced a relatively well-behaved, self-controlled daughter. I am thankful that my mom did not give in to my whims, ugly words, or rebellious behavior. She wanted more for me than that, and her consistent correction produced a pleasant child.

Although her correction was never pleasurable when I was young, her tenderness was not lacking and was perhaps most evident on the days I was home sick from school. She would cover me in blankets on the couch, wash my warm face with a cool cloth, and feed me chicken noodle soup and applesauce.

I specifically remember the time she gave up seeing a much anticipated concert at church to stay home with me because I was not feeling well. Instead of watching gospel singer Larnelle Harris, she and I watched Haley Mills in The Parent Trap.

Even when I was well, Mom and I had our special “girl” shows. Along with Haley Mills’ movies, we watched Perry Mason television shows and, in pre-VCR and DVR days, never missed an episode of “Murder, She Wrote”.

A trait of my mom’s that stands out above others is her generosity. My own needs were met and exceeded, and I often wonder if I was a bit spoiled by the good things in life my parents provided for me.

Yet her generosity extended beyond her immediate family. I remember Christmas shopping for underprivileged children and delivering toys and clothes to them. On another occasion, my parents took in one of my brother’s friends who had been kicked out of his house. Mom purchased clothes for him and welcomed him into our home until he was accepted back into his own.

Through both her own example and her instructive words, my mom also encouraged me to treat others with respect. Upon hearing that I would have the most feared teacher in 4th grade, my mom praised this educator for her positive attributes and shared her appreciation to this instructor for her devotion in the classroom. In this example, and many others, my mom helped me to see the good in others and the power of sharing benevolent words to those people who are sometimes less than kind.

As a child, I dreaded shopping with my mom, but that suddenly changed when I got married and began building a home of my own. Now, some of my favorite times with my mom are our shopping sprees. No day together tops our annual “Black Friday” outing when we start bright and early in the morning and continue until supper. Of course, every shopping trip must include a rest stop at Starbucks – always in a Barnes and Noble store – for mocha frappuccinos.

With many miles between us, our shopping trips are not as often as we would like. The busyness of life seems to have spread out the phone calls and visits over the years. However, I will always recall with immense appreciation all my mom had done for me and both the spoken and unspoken lessons she has taught me.

Thanks, Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I love you!

“Her children rise up and call her blessed…” Proverbs 31:28a