Mothers Day

I'll admit, I used to think this was just another day for women to brag about what wonderful materialistic things they received...and somehow it made me feel like I was some inadequate mom for not getting anything "special' from the store on this day.  Guess what, I'm over it!

Being a mom to me does not mean what someone else can do for me.  It means at how I can look at my children and truly appreciate the love that they give me.  I also look at my mom, now that I am a mom, with so much respect and love for all that she compromised for us kids.  She had five, count them, five of us, and stayed home most of my childhood with us.  She clipped the coupons, shopped garage sales, got bags of hand-me-downs for us along with had a massive garden and did tons of freezing and canning of all the wonderful things she grew! She made us dresses on Easter and little rompers for summer; let us play with the garden hose, climb trees, build sandcastles and roam our neighborhood. She was there when I fell off my bike and had to convince my father that it did look like my wrist needed to be checked by the doc. Yep, broken. She taught me to move on with the speed bumps of life, to get over it, no big deal. Wow, that in itself is huge. My mom also taught me compassion for others, to still give what I could, to be there and help out when needed, to not judge and try to get both sides of the story.  She also showed me that the house didn't need to be perfect, that Kool-aid could be watered down and to make the most of everything that comes my way. I cannot buy a gift in the store to show my gratitude to this woman for these things. I can however become a mom to these grandchildren of hers and show them how to become wonderful people. I can pass on what I loved about my childhood, change what I didn't like so much and create my own memories with these kiddo's and guide them into the big world of life!

This morning I had the chance to run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k...with my 12yr old daughter non the less. Wow, what an amazing thing to see generations of WOMEN supporting each other! No judgements, no "what did you get's", no side glances. Women patting each other on the back, congratulating for just being there to support a cause, to be a survivor, to be running in honor of a breast cancer patient who did not live long enough to see a cure.  Grandma's, mother's, daughter's, aunt's, nieces, cousins...friends and the men who love them as well, all out to celebrate LIFE! Words really cannot describe the emotions that overcame me by being there and witnessing this love. What a great way to start our/my Mother's Day and show my daughter what she has to look forward to in kindness and love for others!

I want to thank my sister's for the nice cards they sent, Steph for the flowers she got Carley and I for completing our race, for my mom and grandmother wishing me a happy day on the phone and the countless people in my life that did so via text or social media! All of you inspire me to be a better mom and person.  Without this village of sorts, I could not raise my children.

Life is good, get on with it!