I devoted a post to my mother, May, 2011 and featured the poem by Sherry Martin, "Your Mother is Always With You" which I believed captured the nuances of the mother--offspring relationship. It's again that time when we send flowers, wine and dine our mothers and do extra special "stuff" for them and that's a good thing. What truly matters is how we treat them the other 364 days of the year. We've become such a mobile society and so many of our offspring live in different parts of the country. My thoughts re: them... are how often do you call your mom other than to discuss problems or concerns that are going on in your life or that of your immediate family? Do you phone, skype or send video messages to her or a note (e-mail notwithstanding) to find out how her day has been or to share something positive or listen to whatever her concerns may be. We all sympathize with the adult children who state that calling home has become a chore and a litany of complaints. My question is how many times have we as children, teens and young adults found a sounding board, assistance and just a shoulder to lean on AND she's always been there. There are exceptions and extreme examples which dominate the news cycle but they aren't the ones I'm addressing in this tribute to motherhood.
For those of us who have lost our mothers..the memories and wisdom she's passed on allow us to stand in good stead and this day of recall serves as a reminder of how blessed we were to have them before they transitioned. I've been reading the various tributes to motherhood on other blogs and there is one in particular, Black Nouveau Woman that focuses on the here and now and how to make this day..truly special regardless of that knock on the door or phone call.
Before I close...let us not forget to honor those women who took on the role of mother for so many of us. She may have been a close family friend, cousin, aunt, grandmother or a stranger with a loving and giving heart. A splendid day to all!
