Post Mother's Day Thoughts
Mother’s Day is so very different when you yourself are a mother, isn’t it? It was special when I was a child and it is
even more special now that I am a mother. I remember one year when I was around
ten years old, I saved my allowance all year to buy my mother a pair of owl
salt and pepper shakers. I walked forever to the little store where I had seen
them, even crossing a big major highway! Don’t worry, dad said it was okay. I
remember that year my sister and I made mom breakfast in bed with permission
from my dad of course, because we really weren’t supposed to use the stove. We
weren’t supposed to use the stove but crossing a major highway in a state where
most drivers are over 80 and blind was okay. How happy my mother was when she
saw that tray with scrambled eggs and toast and juice just for her. I’m sure
she wasn’t thinking about the gooey stream of egg drying on the stove burners
that she would have to chip away at later, as this was way before we had Soft
Scrub. I’m sure she was only thinking how lucky, how very lucky she was to have
children like us on her own special day.
Yesterday I celebrated Mother’s Day with my own children and
how happy I was to have my own
special day! I had decided to have a brunch at my house and was looking forward
to seeing all of my kids together around the table. Well, actually, it was sort
of a last minute plan because getting a reservation at a restaurant around here
on Mother’s Day is like trying to get a ticket to a concert where Billy Joel,
Bruce Springsteen and Elton John are performing their greatest hits and having
open mike night and they are only selling ten tickets. Especially when you try
to get a reservation on the Friday before Mother’s Day. My poor kids! They
goofed! For some reason Mother’s Day didn’t come up on any four of their Icalendars! “No problem,”
I said. I will put a little something together for my special day!
I got up extra early and began the preparations for my
special day. First I went to our favorite bagel store and was shocked to find I
was not the only one who had this great idea, though I have to say most of the
other customers were men wearing baseball caps backwards with their little kids
in tow. And they were all talking about t-ball and coaching strategies, pretending
like they were doing it just to spend time with their kids but I know what
they were thinking. I wanted to
scream Your kid is never going to play
major league ball! This is MY special day! Cut the chit chat and PLACE YOUR
ORDER! Some were holding little babies wearing no shoes because obviously
mom was still asleep in bed and dad had snuck out with all the kids and was
bringing mom home an everything bagel with ham and melted cheddar which caused
the order taker to have to step away from her post to fix the toaster which was
clogged with a wet blob of cheese. Where are all the millenials who are gluten
intolerant? Since when do millenials eat carbs? I began sweating because I was
wearing my ex’s Army sweat pants over my pajama shorts and because I knew that
time was ticking and I still had just a few more errands to do before my kids
arrived for my special day.
Bagels in tow, I headed to the grocery store where I was
picking up the items I needed to make a quiche. All night I tossed and turned
wondering what else to serve in case one of my little darlings is not in the mood
for a big hunk of dough covered in sesame seeds. Broccoli and cheddar quiche!
Vegetable and protein in one dish. They will love that!
I raced home and prepared the quiche. Cut up the fruit. Made
the special tuna salad dry with a tiny bit of celery just like they like it.
Put everything out on pretty plates and felt proud and happy as I went into
shower after setting out my new white Bermuda shorts. I wanted to look extra nice
on my special day!
I came into the kitchen to find the kids standing around the
kitchen island staring at the quiche. Eyeing it my son asked “What kind of pie
is that?” and when I explained what it was he replied, “We can’t eat that.
Didn’t you hear about the recall on eggs?”
Finally everyone sat down to enjoy the food made in honor of
my special day. “How come you’re not eating mom?” my daughter asked and I
replied, “I will in a bit, mother is just a little worn out from all the prep
work this morning,” My son looked up
from his plate with a concerned furrow and asked, “Did you forget orange
juice?”
No, I hadn’t.
We had a lovely time and I opened cards and gifts and
whether it’s Mother’s Day or any other day, I love those kids more than life
and I know they love me without question.
And I guess you’re probably thinking I am going to wrap this
up with I don’t need a special day to
celebrate being a mother, every day with them has been special. But I’m not
going to say that because let’s face it some days were a raging hell. Some days
it was all I could do to put them in front of the TV eating Cheezits off the
floor while I counted to ten, took deep breaths, snapped a rubber band on my
wrist and did all the other things you are supposed to do when you feel life is
just getting away from you.
And one day my daughters will have children and they will
have their own special day. And I hope to be there to enjoy it with them. I
will show up with love in my heart and open arms for my grandchildren and
probably a broccoli and cheese quiche. I hear they freeze well.
Ex-Wife New Life: living life newly single at 50 while overcoming the pain of divorce and moving on. Visit us @ http://facebook.com/ex.wife.new.life OR participate @ http://forum.exwifenewlife.com
