Our Mother's Day Activities

When I started to think about activities that my family does on Mother's Day, I first came up with a big blank. The only thing that came to mind was that I usually ask Mom for a small list of things she might like a week or so in advance. Then I take the list and choose one or two items from it as her gift. I take the gift(s) home and wrap them or use one of the wonderful gift bags for them...and viola! Mother's Day tradition is taken care of! I also make sure that I see Mom on Mother's Day, and I know that we eat lunch together, but outside of that, I was just without memory of other activities.

Then, I really started to look back to past Mother's Days...and ahead to the one that is coming up. That's when I really realized that my family does have several traditions that we always do at Mother's Day. We don't play games or have a huge gift bash, but we do a few things that are very special to me...and my Mom.

First of all, my Mom's birthday falls near (and sometimes on) Mother's Day. It is also Decoration Day/Homecoming at the church where my Grandmother, a Great-Grandmother, and numerous Aunts are buried -all on my Dad's side of the family. (Note: my Grand-Father and several uncles are buried there too...but since this is about Mother's Day, I am sticking with the ladies!)

We usually start the day with a call to my Mom and also to my Grandmother (Mom's Mom) just to wish them a Happy Mother's Day. I like to get my call in to each of them before anyone else. I want to be first. Then, I get ready and head to church...if I can, I try to make it to Mom's church, but usually, the timing is so tight for everything else, that I end up going to my church's early service and then heading straight to my Aunt and Uncle's house for lunch.

Dad's family always gets together on Mother's Day since it is his family who is buried at the church who has Decoration Day on Mother's Day. We try to all meet at my Uncle's house by 11:30...we all visit and wish all the women who are mothers a Happy Mother's Day. I also have an aunt who doesn't have children. We nieces and nephew (yes, only one) always make sure that she has Mother's Day gifts and isn't left out...she deserves to be honored on this day too! After all, she treats us like we are her kids...even though we are adults.

We have a great potluck lunch and then we have cake. The cake is in honor of my Mom's birthday. So, Mom doesn't just celebrate Mother's Day, she also gets to celebrate her birthday.

After we eat, we head over to the cemetery where my Grandparents are buried. We visit their grave plus the graves of my Great-Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. The flowers are always beautiful. We always get new flowers for this day and take them over to the cemetery the day before.

Afterwards, we all head out in our separate ways to enjoy the rest of the day...it is usually a great, warm, spring day. After we have had the afternoon to work off that huge lunch, my Mom, Dad, sister and I usually meet at my parent's house for a light dinner and celebration of Mother's Day -just the 4 of us.

At the end of the day, I usually look back over what all we did. I don't have children of my own, so I really don't know what it feels like to be a mother. But I know I always feel my Mother's love.