A Trip to a Perfect Mother's Day Gift: Take Mom to Places Special To Her

Each year most of us try so hard to come up with the best possible gift to give our mothers on their special day. We seem to put the importance on the gift and not the mothers. Maybe the perfect gift is the whole family taking a day trip.

When I think of Mother's Day the first thing that comes to my mind is the image of a ideal mother. She is the one person who always put her child first. She never felt any sacrifice was too great for her child. She was always supportive and smiling and energetic. She invoked lots of positive memories. This perfect, nurturing person may not be our mother, but she is our picture of what a mother is. I'm thinking we are all alike in that respect. Somehow, as Mother's Day approaches, this does become our mother, at least for the time being. We then turn our thoughts to how we might show our appreciation to that mother.

As we try to think of the perfect way to acknowledge the perfect mother we quickly realize it isn't easy. Our focus shifts from the mother to our demonstration to that mother. Time slips by and no outstanding ideas flood our heads. What should we do for that mother in a way that surpasses all previous attempts? Once again our focus shifts, this time from the idea of the perfect demonstration to the gift. The reason for the gift, the mother, becomes blurry and the concept of the perfect gift itself doesn't allow us to think of why we are looking for that perfect gift in the first place.

Time continues to slip past us and we not only don't have the perfect gift, we still don't have any ideas on what that gift should be. After all, it has to be perfect.

The next thing you know, time is all but gone. Mother's Day is only a couple of days, or maybe even a few hours away. Our lack of creativity coupled with the speed of time passing diminishes the perception of how great a gift we have to select. As we approach the time wire, a simple box of candy or some flowers will do just fine. We have decided on a gift. Not a special gift. Not a perfect gift. Not a gift that out did all previous gifts. What is worse, the reason for the gift, a demonstration of our appreciation for the perfect mother, has not come to pass.

A very few years ago, the mother of a friend of mine had emergency heart surgery. I accompanied my friend to the hospital just after the surgery. The friend's mother, who I can only assume was feeling pain, had a huge smile on her face. It dawned on me that she was happy. Not just happy, but as happy as she could get. I realized that she was happy because her entire family was in the hospital room with her. She had every single living member of the family in one place, at one time. In the room were her son, daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, three grand daughters, and two great grand daughters. This was something that hadn't happened for a long time, maybe never before. The pain and discomfort of the surgery was worth it to her.

When we revisit the first image of the perfect mother, it makes sense. She is consumed with her child. No sacrifice is too great.

The point is, getting the entire family together in the same place at the same time is the perfect way to demonstrate our feelings toward the perfect mother. Remember, that was our first goal, before the concept dimmed and then went away.

Perhaps the very best and most important gift to give an all deserving mother is to find out where on earth her favorite places are. Hopefully one is not that far away. Make your plans to fuel up the car, pack up the family and take the mother to that special place for the day. Mother gets to visit or revisit her special place. She gets the family all together on one day, her day. You should consider a picnic while you are at it. She gets everything that is most important to her, and you made it possible. Can anyone do better?

Plan your perfect demonstration for the perfect mother. Take her and the family to a place special to her. Even with the totally outrageous and unacceptable price of fuel, you would probably spend that same amount on something of much less meaning. Your mother's Mother's Day is one that out shines all previous Mother's Day gifts, just as you originally wanted. You have also created wonderful memories. After all, is there anything more pleasant than happy memories?