In early spring of 2011, my mother moved to Florida. I have
never been away from her for longer than a few weeks at a time (I went to
College 3 hours away, so visited home often). That first Mother’s Day was
bittersweet. It was my first Mother’s Day and the first one away from my
mother. I found myself struggling to be happy. My husband made it special, but
that day was still missing something.
My mother taught me many valuable lessons and I always tried
to repay her. I have always striven to give her the best Mother’s day ever- all she
ever wanted was time together. I never understood that because I have always
spent time with her. Now that I am a mother myself, I finally understand.
Mother’s Day is about celebrating being a mom, not about being
recognized for all the little things you do. Celebrating this huge part of life
is spending the day with those who hold your heart and not having expectations
of a trip to a spa or a diamond ring.
I asked my mother what the best Mother’s Day present ever
would be and this is her response “A day at the park by all my grand babies and
babies.”
I have been thinking about it and the best Mother’s Day
present ever is not far from her description. I believe a free gift is the best
because it takes time and effort to make it special. I simply want to spend the
day with my entire family. I want time with my mother just to sit, talk, and
enjoy each other’s company. Of course, it would not be Mother’s Day without my
husband and son! Because my mother is an artist, an even better way to spend the day would be with the whole family making art together!
As I get older, I value time more than anything - I
finally understand why mom only wanted time with us. I hope I can give that
gift to my mother this year. I miss her!
This post was inspired by the contest at NerdWallet.
