Not Just on Mother's Day: Appreciating Mother is Not About a Card

Mother's Day we think about Mother. She may be tall or short, slender or stout, or sized someplace in between. She may have blue or green or gray or brown eyes that can brighten with amusement or glare so effectively you shrink into the shadows. For sure, she has at least some gray hair (unless it's discreetly colored), if she has any hair left at all.

"She" is none other than Mother. We all have (or had) them. They are a necessary evil (or is that joy) for every one us. And Mother's Day makes us consider just what Mother means to us both good and bad.

For sure, Mother nags us. Mother bullies us. And, Mother endlessly lectures us. (The rolling eyes or blank stare doesn't seem to phase Mother.) Sometimes we'd swear her favorite word is, "NO!" often spoken loudly and punctuated by a threat. (Okay, maybe the toilet isn't the best place to bathe the cat. Will, you please bandage the scratches?)

Mother potty-trains us and disciplines us. Mother teaches us right from wrong, and sends us off to school with a tear and a sigh of relief. Mother worries about us when we're ten minutes (make that three hours) late. (Hey, we ended up at the late movie and forgot to call! No big deal, right? What do you mean I'm grounded for a week!)

Mother squires us to endless practices and activities, and often participates herself. (She made a wonderful, if somewhat wilted, Daisy in the Spring play.) She sees that our clothes are clean, our bedrooms are fumigated, and manages to get us to eat an apple now and again for our health. Can we find a Mother's Day card to celebrate that!

What does Mother get for all her trouble? Dirty diapers and whiny teens. Unfortunately, most of us don't begin to truly appreciate our Mothers until we grow up or, if we're women, until we become one. (Is it too late to take back all those awful things I said...or thought?) Mother's Day takes on whole new meaning once we realize just what Mother went through.

Try getting along without Mother...no breakfast, no lunch, no supper. No clean clothes, no one to haul you around from place to place.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, not everyone has the privilege of having a mother in the home. Some of us can no longer celebrate Mother's Day with our mothers. Some of us don't even know our Mothers.

Whatever else each of our mothers did or did not do, she did do one remarkable thing. In an age where it's no big deal to destroy one's unborn child, our mothers gave us one very unique gift. They gave us life. That life is worth a card, a thought, a smile on Mother's Day

Starting now, let's make an effort show our gratitude to those special Mothers in our life, not just by giving a card or gift on Mother's Day, but by treating them with respect, every day of the year.