A Special Day For A Special Lady...!

Well, Mothers' Day is here. Around the world in over 46 countries, Mothers' Day is celebrated in some fashion. The day varies from place to place, but the idea is the same.

How do you begin to tell your Mother how much you appreciate her? How in the world can you ever thank her for all that she has done for you over the years? Do you try and convey these thoughts by the use of flowers? How about jewelery? New clothes? Fancy dinners?A phone call? How about a beautiful card? What could possibly be the one gift that says what you really want to say!

Remember all the times your Mother sat by your bedside when you didn't feel well? I do! Remember how your Mother always seem to find some way to make your special day like birthday, Halloween, Christmas, slumber parties, first dates, proms and all the other unmentioned ones into a long lasting , wonderful memory? I do!

All of my life, my Mother has found the time to listen to my troubles and try and help me find a solution. No matter what was going on in her personal life, she always has been there to show me support in my exorcising whatever demons were in my life at the time.

As I got older, she continued to stand beside me to show support, stand behind me when I needed a gentle push, and take the lead when I needed someone to help show the way. My Mother was my Mentor when I didn't know what a mentor was...I always just thought of her as a parent, a counselor, and a role model.

Mom offered up a basic blend of discipline, love, and respect. My sisters and I were taught courtesy, respect, and obedience of the rules. Both my parents taught by example more than anything else. My sisters and I had curfews, knew where the boundaries were, knew what was expected of us and it was left up to us whether or not to do the right thing or accept the consequences.

My Mother always treated our friends as though they were family. She issued scolding when scolding was called for, gave hugs when hugs were needed, fed them when they looked hungry, listened if they needed to talk to someone other than their own parents, and gave all of our friends a fun and safe place to gather and play...and even joined in once in a while.

How can you begin to show appreciation for all that? Simple...you can't. You offer up gifts and kind words. You send cards and flowers, make phone calls and even send telegrams.

But I think that we are past that. The time has come to make this Mothers' Day really special again! Let's bring back some of the joy that Mom always showed when our gifts consisted of nothing more than hand prints in baked clay, wild flowers picked along the side of the road, and messy paper cards painted with watercolors and signed with misspelled words and heartfelt love.

How am I going to honor my Mother on Mothers' Day? I'm going to do something that I don't do often enough and should. I'm going to sit down with my Mother, take her hand in mine, look her straight in the eye, and say these simple words..." Thank you, Mom. I love you!"

Then maybe we can share a cup of coffee together...ya know?