Pause for Gratitude: Mother's Day

This would be my mama and I. Years ago, but still. :)

I am grateful for Mother's Day but not in the "I'm getting diamonds, roses, a new Porsche, and a personal maid!" way.  Not even in the "My husband will clean the house from top to bottom, my children will be wonderful and sweet and I will lie in a bubble bath all day!" way.  To be honest, to me, Mother's Day is just like Valentine's Day- not one to shower people with grandiose gestures but rather do simple things to remind your loved ones of how much you adore them.

I am grateful for Mother's Day because I am grateful to be a mother.  I am grateful to have a mother who has become one of my best and closest friends.  I am grateful that we have the kind of relationship where we allowed each other to be our own women, something I think is hard to do in mother-daughter relationships sometimes.  We both make mistakes, we both are very different women, and with her help, I hope that someday my own children and I will become friends too- not just parents & their kids.

In reality, I have no real grandiose designs for what I want for Mother's Day.  I'd like a cinnamon roll and some great coffee.  I'd like it to be a nice sunny day, so we can walk the dog, go to the park, browse greenhouses.  I'd like us to make a lovely dinner, take a nice hot bath, and maybe get a little extra sleep that night.  (Though I won't object if my husband decides to clean every inch of the house.)

I hope he smiles like that forever.

My children make Mother's Day quietly special to me.  I never realized I would be a young mother, nor did I know how you 'feel your way' through parenting quite often.  My mom has been a great guide and she stands firmly behind the fact "You know your children.  Do whats best for your family, not what others think you should do."  I keep that close to my heart daily, especially when times get tough or I'm at a loss for what I 'should do' about something.

Why don't we adults get cool, comfy pjs too?  Eva.

My mother molded me into a mother who has learned to let her instincts guide her and to let her children become their own people.  I try to be a mother who is always there but willing to let go when needed.  It's not always easy.  This week, Eva and Nolan brought me home flowers and Eva sang me a song, which bless her little heart, was adorable even if she . . . ahem . . . may be a little tone deaf.  Owen is super cuddly.

The best part? I get to write about being a mother.  So yes, I am grateful for Mother's Day.  Happy Mother's Day to every one of you wonderful mothers out there.