I love Mother's Day. Our family does not have specific Mother's Day traditions or extended family gatherings, but sometimes a quiet day can be just perfect.
The weather here in New England on Mother's Day was absolutely beautiful. Lately, we had not been having very nice weather, but on Mother's Day, I awoke to see the sun shining through our open bedroom window. (As an aside, one of the things I love is sleeping with one of our bedroom windows open so I can wake up and see the sunshine if it is, indeed, shining!) I felt an extra spring in my step purely because it was a beautiful, sunny day. I think it ended up being about 80 degrees, which was just glorious.
First thing, my family showered me with homemade cards and gifts. My 6-year-old son presented me with a pink flower in a hand-decorated flower pot, with a note sticking out of it. He also gave me a picture frame decorated with hearts with his picture in the center (the teacher had taken his picture at school). It is the cutest thing because he had just lost his first tooth, so the picture is adorable. My 9-year-old daughter, gave me a two-page letter in which she wrote all the things she loves about me and how grateful she is for all that I do for her. It is so precious and thoughtful. She also presented me with a paper titled "Mom's Gazette" with a "newspaper article" called World's Greatest Mom, under which she drew a picture of herself and me. I just love these handmade gifts.
We started the day by attending church. The Mass was beautiful and the priest took several opportunities to acknowledge mothers. He asked us all to observe a moment of silence to remember our own mother, he said a special prayer for all deceased mothers, and he gave a blessing to all mothers in attendance. At one point, he asked all the children to give their mother a hug. I got lots of hugs and some peaceful time to pray for my deceased grandmothers and mother-in-law.
After church, my husband and kids got to work setting up the patio. That is what I asked for them to do on Mother's Day this year. We hadn't gotten around to it yet because the weather had not been very nice, but I enjoy the patio so much all summer and could not wait to start using it. It was so cute to see my husband and kids setting it all up and wiping all the furniture down. They were busy little bees!
We enjoyed a nice lunch on the completed patio and then, believe it or not, I sat outside and read a book for two hours. Yes, two entire hours!!! The kids were playing in the backyard, and at one point, my daughter came up on the patio and read her book in the chair next to me. It was absolutely delightful! (I will have to talk about the books I read in another post---I am enjoying them.)
After reading, I called my own mom, who lives 2 hours away and had been out on a hike with my sister and her family. We didn't visit her on Mother's Day this year because we had just been there recently. It was great to talk to her and wish her a nice day. We had sent her a care package of homemade gifts earlier in the week, which she really enjoyed.
When I hung up with my mom, I went on a walk by myself for about a half hour. We really wanted to take a family walk or hike, but my son was suffering a bit from allergies, so we decided that might be a bit too exerting for him. Anyway, I loved my walk in the late afternoon sun and even jogged the last bit to get in a little more exercise. :)
When I came home, I found that my dear husband had heated up dinner (we had decided to have leftovers to keep things a bit simpler, as my husband is just getting over a serious illness so he has limited energy right now). It was so nice to get cleaned up, have a family dinner, and read to my kids.
The day after Mother's Day, I was talking with several moms during baseball practice. They had both gone away for Mother's Day for day trips with extended family. They had enjoyed the large family gatherings, but said that my day sounded so relaxing and special. I agree. My day was relaxing and special, and I will remember it forever.
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