Mums the Word of the Day

I woke up very early this morning curled up on the couch with a troubling thought in my head. “What in the hell is Gweneth Paltrow’s mom’s name. Son of a Bitch…I know this name. Why won’t it come to me”. I went on trying to remember it with my usual brain exercises.

Of course, I could have leaned over and grabbed my phone and looked it up on the interweb but every now and again, I like testing my brain. So I went along with my visualizing her face, imagining her picture with her name written under it. I did my A, B, C, D trying to think of older actor names and nothing. It woke me up to the point I had to get off the couch because I was hell-bent determined to remember it without technology. After 30 minutes, I remembered!!! (I’m not telling you, you can look it up yourselves.) I must say I was rather proud of myself because as of late, I feel my brain is mush and I can’t think even of anything outside of work.

My celebration was cut short with my cellphone vibrated with a text message. It was my sister wishing me a “Happy Mother’s Day.” Today is Mother’s Day. It was a day that Anna Jarvis campaigned to honor HER Mother but wanted women everywhere to honor their birth MOTHER.

“Mother’s Day is a singular possessive because Anna Jarvis intended for the holiday to honor “the best mother who ever lived, yours.”

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/05/lcm-trending-the-mother-of-mothers-day/

Now I know that just like every other holiday out there, it has become a money maker for companies looking to ensure that we spend more money than we need to on our mom. It’s not that my mom doesn’t deserve all the gifts in the world, she does. My mom is a remarkable woman, plus she raised all of us to be pretty amazing adults she deserves more than gifts and flowers. She deserves a medal.

I think that Jarvis wanted a moment in time to recognize that her mom was significant to her. The world had changed a lot since May 10, 1914, when the first Mother’s Day Celebration occurred.

Mother is more than just a biological parent. I am not a fan of the word “Step” in front of any family role (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). I may one day be a Bonus Mom to two children I’ve grown to adore (I refer to them as “The Littles.” It doesn’t mean I replace their Mother, Lord knows I will never try to do that, but I think in life, raising children takes a village, and I’m willing to be another person in their lives to guide and direct them. Constant, Honest and the Rock of a safe place. That’s what I hope my children get from me now. I wasn’t always that way, but I’ve learned in my life what I need to be.

I look at my kids’ Bonus, Mom. She is a remarkable woman, and I trust that she loves my children with all her heart and wants nothing but the best for them. She is a blessing in my life too. I thank God all the time that she is a part of X1’s life because I know that there is a bigger plan than any of us could understand and we are all family.

The list of Moms to honor extends far past Bonus Mom. So as a tribute to all the Mothers out there (and no Dad, I’m not referring to you being a MOTHER F*er) take this day to think about all the woman who influenced your life.

I work with women who have mothered many of us because of their care and compassion for each other. I have friends who had taken on the motherly role when I was struggling emotionally. I have so many people in my life who have made me feel loved and cared for beyond measure. Those of us military moms, we reach out on a moments notice if one of our babies is in need even if its been years since we’ve seen each other. I think that’s just what we do it’s in our core instinctual essence. Mothering is part of who we are from the beginning of creation. We were designed to take care of those in our charge.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you. Whether its real mom, bonus, expecting, pet, adoptive, foster, friend, sister, Aunt. Remember and honor whoever has significantly impacted your life, enjoy your day and remember you are special because you were designed to be unique.

So now, I’m going to get dressed and enjoy breakfast with my oldest and the love of his life. They wanted to honor me today and for that I will forever be grateful that they CHOOSE to spend time with me. Now on to the tough decision…Bacon or Sausage.