Mother's Day

Apparently, this is the day I'm supposed to honour my mother. Huh. I thought I was supposed to do that every day.

My mom is ill and has been for some time. For the last few years, I've been treating our time together as precious. My parents moved into the apartment downstairs. My day begins with a hello to and from Mom and ends with a kiss goodnight.

In the last ten years, several of my friends have lost their mothers. We're not old enough for this but who ever is? When my grandmother died two years ago, my dad became an orphan. It doesn't matter that he's a grandfather. He no longer has his parents to turn to in those moments when only your parents truly understand how you feel/what you need.

When I was a kid, I'd whine because there was a Mother's Day and a Father's Day but no Kids' Day. My dad said every day was Kids' Day. Oh, how right he was. In turn though, we should honour our parents and grandparents every day, not just on the day designated by greeting card companies.

There are some people who don't have parents, who grew up without the comfort and certainty of their mother's love. They didn't hatch in the cabbage patch but they didn't have moms either. The hype and commerce of today's fake holiday is a bitter reminder of what they don't have. It's bad enough that the rest of us feel like inadequate slackers because we didn't buy Mom a diamond necklace, a houseful of flowers and angels singing her praises. The brilliance and necessity of mothers is everywhere right now. It can be overwhelming.

I'm not a mom. This is not my holiday. I'm okay with that. I have a mom I do adore. I have children who I'd fight tooth and claw to provide for and protect. I have the best of both worlds.

I realize it every single day, even if I don't tell them how blessed I am. I do my best to show them how much I truly love them each and every day, not just once a year.