Let’s celebrate Mother’s Day! COVID restrictions such as restaurant closures, distancing and isolating have been lifted. Now, we can honor our moms like we did before things got crazy.
Whether your celebration is big or small, every mom appreciates the love behind the card, gift or food.
For young children, handmade cards or similar gifts will be lovingly saved for years. Hugs go a long way, too.
For older kids, spending some devoted time with your mom is a true gift. A special food item, maybe breakfast in bed or a much beloved dish or a cupcake says “love you mom.”
It’s always great to get moms out of the kitchen. So, consider cooking for her, a restaurant outing or carry-out meal.
Outdoor adventures can be fun, too. If your mom likes to walk, plan a walk or hike. Perhaps she would enjoy a drive upriver to watch spring emerging. Or weather permitting and gardening is a special hobby, help your mom dig, plant if possible, and get ready to grow stuff. You could golf, bowl, see a movie or download a show to watch together.
For those of us, including me, who live a long distance from our mothers, celebrating can be more challenging. Sending flowers always seems to brighten the day. You can search florists near your mother’s residence for the freshest flowers and least costly delivery.
Mail a card. Order a gift certificate to her favorite store. Or, my best recent gift was a massage – the first my Mother ever had received and she loved it.
On a personal note, I will finally get to see my mom soon who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It has been more than two years since we’ve visited in person. She resides in assisted living and has been in lockdown during most of COVID. We had scheduled this trip a few months ago, then delayed it when Omicron emerged and the airlines were cancelling flights left and right.
At age 96, my mother is still amazing. She grew up on a remote Indiana farm and was fortunate to acquire a college degree in home economics in 1944. She and my dad enjoyed a 55-year marriage. During WWII she managed like a single mom raising me while my dad was deployed in military service.
Somehow, she raised four children, sewed all our clothing, fed us well balanced meals, raised huge vegetable gardens, canned fresh produce, supported her church, attended PTA meetings, took food to the shut-ins and Christmas cookies to the patients at our local mental health asylum.
We kids joked, although it was true, that we could show up unannounced at mom’s house with a bunch of people and she would have a healthy meal on the table in less than an hour. She was always generous welcoming guests, helping others, a devout Christian, and my dad’s best friend.
I have chatted with a cousin about the sense that our generation of women will never live up to the grit and determination of our mothers. Their examples of caring, sharing, and enduring are truly awesome.
Just think of all the things your mom has done for you and remember to do something special for her. Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms, grandmas, and great-grandmas.
By KAYE SULLIVAN – Special to the Herald Times
