As I Reflect On This Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day 2009 was an enjoyable day. Since I’ve been married to Bill he has always gone above and beyond to make sure it’s a good day for me. Typically it’s only been the 2 of us here on this day, but this year Whitney was back with us and G’Ma E was here as well. Bill has a regular routine for Mother’s day which begins with breakfast out and then shopping at my favorite nursery, Watson’s. It’s been our tradition for several years and one that I love. This year we shared the experience with my mother and she seemed to have a good time (Whitney opted to sleep in which was perfectly fine).

Once we get home we begin planting all of the new plants I have selected. Typically the nighttime weather is not safe to plant annuals here until at least Mother’s Day because of our late frosts we experience here. But once Mother’s Day arrives we feel it’s safe to begin spring. This year as I was out in the backyard digging in the dirt and planting my new “babies” into the composted earth home I began to reflect on my life. I know having my mom with us this year had a big impact on this reflection.

My teenage years were pretty much hell on my poor mother. Through my teenage years I took my mom for granted. She worked as hard as she knew how to be both mother and father to me. I was pretty sure that she existed purely to provide for me and at the same time stay out of my way and my life. We weathered a lot of “parent/teen battles”. We fought a lot.

She said that she knew me better than I knew myself - I was sure she had no clue (I was so mistaken). I was very rebellious during my teenage years; I was not a lot of fun to be around. She worried a lot about me and simply prayed for me and kept telling me that she loved me. Looking back I’m sure that at the time I thought my mom was responsible for everything that had every gone wrong in my life. As a teenager I was so self-centered. Looking back now and as a mother myself I have no idea how she put up with me and regret what I put her through. Seriously I would have beaten the living daylights out of me. I was a selfish-hormonal-teenage-brat.

Reflecting back I know that she had unrealized dreams of her own. She never expected to be a single parent at the age of 44 to a 9 year old daughter. She had hopes and plans that she set aside to simply love me through my tough years. Amazingly something happened to me along the way that changed everything. Something finally changed - I did. I grew up some, became a mother myself. I realized that my mother was a genuine human being with a heart that could be broken and feelings that could be hurt. Could it be that there was actually more to her than - “me”?

Motherhood is the hardest, most challenging job. We are rewarded with intense joy, pure and strong emotion, never-ending depths of love, and some unbelievably hilarious moments! I am truly blessed to have the mom I do and to be a mom!

Mom, I am proud of you and I love you very much.

Thank You Mom
I know how often I took you for granted when I was growing up.
I always assumed you'd be there when I needed you... and you always were.
But I never really thought about what that meant till I got older and began to realize how often your time and energy were devoted to me.
So now, for all the times I didn't say it before,thank you, Mom...
I love you so very much!
Author Unknown