I use to think that the first word of the phrase, "Happy Mother's Day", meant that it was a day for me to be happy. And in order for me to be happy I needed all my mothering hats to be hung on the hat rack and I was to take a day off, basking in doing nothing.
And as always the day would come and I would find that I would mumble under my breath as I removed mothering hat of maid and chef from the rack and placed it back on my head. Taking on those duties once again I found that as I struggled to sit with all the children through church services that the childcare professional and mediator hats needed to be dislodge almost immediately. Not to mention the hat of detective as I struggle to find who is telling the truth and who fears my wrath. As we come home I then figure I can once again settle my hats upon their rack but before I do I find that instead I am removing another as a child gets their daily "booboo's" or as we call them "owies" and I fit the hat of nurse urgently upon my head. As I finish up and the child is miraculously healed by a band-aid, I have the oldest child seeking answers to her daily dramas and needing my "expertise" to guide her through. So wisely I once again lighten my hat rack by placing the "therapist, philosopher, and spiritual advisor" hat upon my head. And as the day goes on I see that the once full hat rack is now thinned and each hat has once again found it's home upon my head.
I use to look at this day and feel disappointed that those hats didn't stay where I had planned on them staying for the entire day. But...now....
It is different. I have learned over the years that mother's day does indeed intend on lending itself to what that first word defines it as..."Happy". It isn't a day to take off from the most important job that has ever been entrusted to women, but it is a day to put "happy" back into mothering. A day to relish that I have been given this gift, this most precious gift of raising God's most precious children. What a blessing it is to have 5 healthy, beautiful, eager, busy, sassy, confident, and demanding of my attention children. Each unique and incredible in their own ways. I feel blessed beyond measure, so I happily and willingly resume wearing my many hats and hope that each one of them is worn with grace, patience and humility.
I love my children and I love Mother's Day. Instead of it being a day off from doing what I love most, it is now a reminder of the precious gift I have been given. So last year Harvey and I formed a plan. A plan that would ensure that we treated Mother's Day and Father's Day as it should be. You better believe we still received gifts but these gifts are going to be conducive to what the day is all about. Relishing in our life as parents WITH our children.
---Each child chooses a date that they want to go on with mom and dad. The spouse depending on which day it is (mother or father's day) is to purchase gift cards to that location or site and then the child presents them to the parent on their special day. Each child then gets to go on a special one on one date with mom or dad giving mom and dad a chance to relish in that child and their unique love for them. I am sure you can imagine how each child feels as they go on that date, leaving 4 siblings behind and finally receiving that precious time with just mom or dad. I love this idea and can't wait to have it carried through...better be on that Harvey!:)
So here's to my HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I can't wait to spend time with each and every one of my 5 miracles!
Note: A Happy Mother's Day to my own mother for without her I would have no clue what I was doing. She is my mentor, my counselor, and my friend! I love you Mom!
