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The Greatest Gift on Mother's Day

It's not about flowers or presents -- although those are nice too!

I MUST ADMIT that while I always appreciated Mother’s Day and enjoyed helping to pamper my own wonderful mom each year, the holiday catapulted to one of my favorites when I became a mom.

Imagine… a day when everyone takes care of me!

I never appreciated how simple –  and spectacular – the idea of Mother’s Day is. It’s not elaborate. It’s not about gifts or fancy celebrations. It’s the simple sentiment of being made to feel like the guest of honor for the day. No running around. No planning. No to-do list. No need to sprout extra arms. No calls for supermom to swoop in and get it all done.

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My husband only has three Mother’s Days under his belt (at least as the husband of a mother), but thus far, he has nailed it. He’s organized the kids to make and sign cards, he’s planned the menu, bought the groceries and even returned with fresh flowers in hand. Lucky for me, he’s a fabulous cook and enjoys preparing a delicious meal. And, he somehow manages to wrangle the kids away from me for at least part of the day so I can enjoy some downtime. I also get some good quality playtime with them, when I can simply play and not worry about somehow folding laundry in between activities.

I remember before I had kids, one of my co-workers told me that Mother’s Day was her favorite holiday. I was pretty surprised. Better than Christmas? Than birthdays? For me, it always seemed to be on the C-list of holidays. But she was emphatic. Every Mother’s Day, her husband took the kids away for the weekend. She slept in, went the spa, shopped and did whatever she wanted. It was a weekend of renewal for her. And while she loves her family very much, she looked forward to the time to herself all year long.

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I totally get it now.

Because while it’s nice to be pampered and honored, the value of Mother’s Day is really something more. It gives me such a very rare opportunity to pause and drink in the amazing fact that I am, indeed, a mother. And that is a wonderful thing.

DAY TO DAY, I’m struggling to get from place to place. To keep the house somewhat clean. To keep the kids clothed, pottied, fed and happy. To keep our lives moving forward without leaving anyone behind.

But, when I take a moment to step back and think about it, I recognize how truly blessed I am to get to be the mother for my children. I remember when I first became a mother being filled with a sense of merely being chosen to watch over and guide this other new person on her journey to figure out life here on Earth and become the person she is meant to be.

And it’s true. For all the hurry and frenzy, that’s what motherhood is all about. Being a mother. And it’s a miraculous thing.

I don’t remember that fact every moment of every day. But the evidence is all around me.

When their faces light up at the sight of each other.

In adoring eyes and toothless smiles.

In the shared excitement of new skills learned.

In tiny wet kisses.

In giant hugs.

In first steps and home runs.

In bumps and bruises and stubborn resolve to get up and try again.

In watching these tiny people grow and learn and become good people that already give back to me more than I think I will ever give to them.

Motherhood is such a gift. It is a gift, of course, that we mothers give our children and our families. It takes harder work – and more work – than I ever could have imagined. It takes patience and love and caring and commitment. It takes humility and selflessness and humor. I have so much more appreciation for my own mother now that I truly understand what it took to mother my sister and me.

But, to be honest, I think that I am the biggest recipient in my motherhood experience. For all the hard work and challenges I struggle with trying to get it mostly right, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

So to all of you amazing moms out there, I wish you a delightful, relaxing day as the guest of honor in your own Mother’s Day. Because you deserve the rest and the appreciation. But perhaps most of all, you deserve a moment to reflect on how awesome – literally – it is to be called mom.

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