A Special Mother's Day

"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers." Rudyard Kipling

Below is an edited reprise of my Mother's Day post last year. It's still relevant. Sadly heartfelt. And, in the end, funny. Some things have changed since I wrote it. Too much has not.

Mothers continue to lose children all over the world. But in our family at least, we've hung on to a precious one. And more than a few of us mothers have dodged our own bullets this year ... while making sure life went on as usual for our kids.

But that's part of being a mother. Most of us would take a bullet for our children. Some mothers have a harder time than others, but the maternal instinct is incredibly strong.

And no matter how we wonder and worry and struggle to cope, kids have a way of bringing light and laughter into our lives. Certainly mine does. This is how he managed it last year:

Friday, May 6, 2005

Mother's Day Tears and Laughter

I wasn't sure how to approach Mother's Day this year. There's such misery and death in the world, my heart hurts. For far too many, Mother's Day is a grim reminder of devastating loss, not a happy reason to celebrate.

Then the flowers came. From our 21-year-old son, away at college. With a note that's an instant classic. It made me laugh out loud in my kitchen and filled me with joy and gratitude.

I realized I needed to stop and literally smell the roses.

And to honor all mothers who grieve the death of a child by heeding their heart-rending advice: Don't take your kids for granted, love them mightily, spend time with them, cherish every precious moment.

Childhood goes so quickly, it seems they're grown in a blink. We try to enjoy it while they're young. But daily life intervenes, jobs and responsibilities deflect our attention, sap our energy -- and priceless time slips away.

We mustn't let that happen. It's an insult to every mother who would trade any promotion, appointment or night's sleep for even one more day of her child's life.

If we're smart we'll grab Mother's Day-every day--with both hands, celebrate our children and our own mothers. Let them know how special they are, how much their lives brighten and enrich our own.

By the way, the note that came with the flowers:

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you and I'll see you in a week.

P.S. I paid for the flowers with your credit card because I left mine at a bar the other night. I'll pay you back when I get home.

Just come home and give your mother a kiss. That's all the payment I need.

This year he's presenting me with another perfect gift. We paid for this one too. But, oh, it was worth it. He's graduating college. Summa Cum Laude. On Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all.