The calendar selects one day a year to celebrate mothers. Advertising and society push us toward cards, flowers, gifts, meals and all that to celebrate mothers . That is all well and good and one can choose how to embrace the sentiment but the truth of it is Mother’s Day brings a lot of emotion , expectation , disappointment and sadness. I began a post today to express my thoughts of what Mother’s Day 2023 was for me. I had too much to say so decided on a blog entry instead. Mothers sometimes set themselves up for disappointment . We have visions of breakfast in bed, boundless admiration and being waited on hand and foot. We wrap in to one day all our wishes to be validated and appreciated and thanked for what we do and who we are. Not much wonder we feel let down sometimes. Then of course we throw in emotion, loss , deep feelings about our own mothers and guilt about any shortcoming we have had mothering our children and grandchildren. What a recipe for an underwhelming holiday. Leading up to the day I often find myself on edge filled with many emotions. Anger , sadness, fear, regret and insecurity meld together in a simmering pot of anxiety. I gave myself a good talking to on Saturday in attempts to prepare myself for Mother’s Day this year. So here goes my day after evaluation of Mother’s Day 2023 and the realization that what the day brought is everything motherhood is. My day began with a big hug from my youngest son. I met my daughter at the ferry and as always she made me laugh ( which these days results in a coughing jag). We enjoyed a delicious breakfast together. I came home and cleaned which might seem like a wrong thing to do on Mother’s Day but I truly love the opportunity to clean and care for our new home. I made my mother’s famous Chocolate Chip squares as requested by my daughter and was thrilled to do so. As I frosted them I remembered the many times I arrived at my mother’s and she had homemade treats for me and my kids. I sat on my back deck with a cup of tea and read from a book I love and return to when I want to feel the essence of what I believe mothering to be. Anne of Ingleside takes me back to Susan of Waltons’ Lake Road and the joy I felt mothering my four children. I happily prepared a Sunday supper not thinking for one minute that someone should be preparing it for me. I watched loved ones gather around my table and took joy in watching them enjoy their supper even though there were baked potatoes involved. My wonderful sister in law and dear friend Alice and her sister arrived and we played long, hilarious games. My middle son and his oldest son arrived and I got more great hugs. One granddaughter told me she liked what I was wearing. Another granddaughter came back from her running club tired and glowing. She poured tea for everyone and made herself a peanut butter sandwich. I hovered and cleaned up again thrilled to have the opportunity to be in the presence of love, memory , laughter and life. So there you have it. Another Mother’s Day all mixed up with every emotion there is and will continue to be until I am the mother they remember after I am gone.
