Mother’s Day; a day to honor, embrace, and remember Mothers and all that they have done. I’m blessed to still have my Mom, (hopefully for decades to come) and my heart goes out to those that have lost their Mothers.
Honoring Mothers can be difficult. It’s not like we can go out and slay a dragon in the name of our Mothers, right? Maybe not in the literal sense, but using the knowledge that they have passed down to us is one way to honor them. I’ll use myself as an example. I enjoy cooking and baking, and as a kid, I was always in the kitchen with my mother watching and learning. Now, I can honor my mother and what she taught me by cooking and baking for my own family everyday. This is my metaphorical dragon that I slayed in her honor.
So, thank you for teaching me, Mother.
A Mother’s embrace is something special, whether it’s physical or emotional, it can change the day and warm the heart. Watching my wife hold our daughter, seeing the love that she has for her, is a blessing. As time marches on, I feel that we lose this aspect of what Mothers can do and take a hug for granted.
When I was in the Army, one NCO (non-commissioned officer) always stressed to call your parents, especially your Mother. To give them an update as to how life is and what is new. I was 18 at the time, never left home before joining the Army, and could always talk to my parents at any time. So having communication be extremely limited during basic training was a new stress that I hadn’t encountered yet. When I had the opportunity to talk to my parents for a couple minutes, it would give me the emotional embrace and support that I needed.
Now, for the heartbreak. Mother’s Day gives us the chance to remember and celebrate the lives of Mother’s who have passed away. Rather than dwelling on Mother's we've lost, use Mother’s Day as the perfect opportunity to tell stories, look at pictures and panegyrize Mothers that have moved on to Heaven, remembering them and all of their quirks.
No excuses, you should call your mom on Sunday. Go see her. Bring her flowers. Take her to brunch. Let her dress you down for not being married. Or, if you're married, let her ask intrusive questions about why you don't have kids yet. Or if you have kids, why you don't have more.
It's her day. Make it a special one.
So, Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms, past and present.
But not you, single women that claim pets are kids. Don’t try to claim this day because you have “fur-babies”. Stop it and go find a man to make you into a traditional wife.
To my wife, thank you for being a wonderful role model to our daughter and for being my rock. To my Mother, thank you for putting me on the right path.
I wouldn’t be me without either of you.
For more of Josh's musings, he can be found at @jjnorman13 on Twitter