Thursday, May 11, 2017

Gearing up for Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day was epic.  I got up thinking I didn't have high expectations, but as I went through my morning realizing that no one even knew it was Mother's Day, my expectations got the best of me.  It was ugly.  I was mad for a good week.  This year, I'm going to be thankful.

I'm thankful that my mothers are in Mississippi watching my oldest daughter walk in her graduation ceremony.  I'm thankful that they all love Mads and were willing to share this day in a land far, far away with her.  I am thankful that Brook qualified for the national championship track meet.  I am so glad she had people there to get her to the airport and to make sure she had money for Starbucks on the way.  I am thankful for my older kids who are home with me helping me get everyone here to all the places they need to go.  I'm thankful that they know it is Mother's Day this weekend and we all agree we want to have a day to rest together.  I am thankful that all of my children are working hard in their various ways and that we can work together.  Having a lot of children is difficult sometimes, but it is the most rewarding thing in the world.  We could have chosen to travel more, or make more money, but I am satisfied with the choice to have a full house.  They are my investment, and they are paying back richly.

This is our first Mother's Day without Louise.  Maybe I will get some flowers just for her.  Whatever this Mother's Day holds for me, I am grateful that I am a mother.  My kids are at that transition from me being in front of them, to me being beside them.  I am learning to let them have free will, and they are learning to be responsible for themselves.  We bump into each other often during this transition, and that is as it should be.  Changes can be rough.  I need to give more and more grace and not take things personally.  Mother's Day comes during finals week, graduations, weddings, spring, track, 4h and work.  They are thinking about their own stuff, and I need to remember that.  I think I'll ponder how to bless them all while we are all still around the table together.  Instead of burdening them, I'll look for a way to bless them.

No comments: