author Roberta Oster Sachs
by Roberta Oster Sachs
Mother’s Day – how lucky I am to be one of ‘them’ – one of the mothers who will be honored, celebrated, and loved on this special day. I don’t care that it’s a Hallmark Card kind of holiday.
I don’t care that it’s a commercial creation where children, husbands, and partners feel obligated, pressured (often driven by guilt), into doing something for their mother – take her to dinner, buy her a gift, or make a home-made card. Why would I care? I think it’s a great idea. If we don’t set aside certain days to honor special people – parents, teachers, secretaries, and heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we could easily let the days slip by without stopping to say a simple, ‘thank you.’
But I have a different twist on the holiday. On this Mother’s Day I want to thank my children and my husband. My children, my gifts from God, bring me joy, laughter, and aggravation. They make me think, they push me to be a better listener, to set an example for them by my actions, to find ways to demonstrate the values I talk about.
Thank you Adam and Claudia for inspiring me to finally sign up to deliver “Meals on Wheels” with you.
Thank you, Claudia, for saying last week, “Mommy the word ‘love’ is not a big enough word to describe how I feel about you. I love you more than love.”
Thank you, Adam, for inviting me for Saturday morning bike rides, for your magical creative writing, and for teaching me the importance of laughter.
Thank you Noah for being the kind of father I dreamed of for my children. The guy who cares about the environment, teaches our kids
about climate change and recycling, and takes them hiking and camping.
And thank you, Mom. I can’t forget my own mother – I sent her flowers by rushed delivery so they’ll be there on time.
Mom, I meant what I wrote in my card. I am grateful to you for teaching me to believe in myself, to dream, to remember that the cup is always half full, that you can start a diet any day, that you can do anything you want to do if you want to do it badly enough, and, most importantly, that each of us should find a way to give back and do something to help make the world a better place.
I’m glad we have Mother’s Day – it’s time to take the time to say, ‘thank you.’
Roberta and her family relocated to Richmond six years ago, and she has founded her own communications firm, www.ostersachs.com
