My mother
Mother’s Day is such a special day.
As a child, I always loved Mother’s Day. My two brothers, two sisters, and I would make some very special gifts for our mother. Our father never took us shopping to buy Mother’s Day gifts when we were young. Growing up in a small town on a big farm was much different than how our children live today and homemade gifts were the norm.
Brunch at a fancy restaurant? A big breakfast at our kitchen table was our “Mother’s Day Brunch” and it would have made the chefs at The Jefferson’s Lemaire envious! I’m sure the mess we left in the wake of creating that special meal was enough to make our mother cry – but she always acted as though she were being treated like royalty.
Mother’s Day was different for me growing up as a child than it is for most today.
It was all about coming up with an idea and making my mother something special. I’m sure the many cardboard jewelry boxes, construction paper artwork, dried macaroni picture frames, and a variety of “gifts” made from empty toilet paper rolls, odd buttons, bottle caps, and more were a bit of a nuisance to have around — but she always acted like they were better than diamonds and gold — and she kept them all!
After my mother passed away four years ago, we found many of these homemade ‘treasures’ in different places throughout the house. My mother and father lived in the same house their entire married lives, so the house is filled with valued memories. Even though we were able to start buying gifts for her as we got older and started making our own money, and could drive to the store, it seems that the gifts that stood out the most were those we made by hand.
Yep, that's me with the white bow in my hair trying to hide behind my brother! I love this pic with my grandma and grandpa.
Each year around Mother’s Day, I think about my mother and miss her more than ever. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you always feel like a child when you think about your mother. Mother’s Day is a very special day still, but it’s a hard day for many who have lost their mothers.
I was blessed to have my mother for many years and I will especially remember her this Mother’s Day. I’ll remember the wonderful times we had together and how comforting it was to simply have her arms wrapped around me. I’ll remember the sparkle in her eyes and the glowing smile on her face as she opened that cardboard jewelry box.
And I’ll remember how only she could make everything ‘okay’.
As you celebrate this Mother’s Day, be sure and let your mother know how much she means to you. Don’t miss a chance to shower her with love and hugs — and if you get a chance, make a cardboard jewelry box for her.
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