This mother had to work all day rather than spend time with the people that bestowed this title upon me. I had to stay late to cater to those less imaginative consumers. This morning I chuckled to myself as people asked ignorant questions and displayed bad manners. I chuckled because I thought to myself, as they were obviously in a rush to get last thought goodies to mommy, some mothers don't deserve this day. The mothers who raised grown ups with bad attitudes, and mamas who raised children to be rude and inconsiderate to those who serve them did not do a proper mothering job. Don't get me wrong, I'm lucky to have employment on a day like today. I realize that mass consumerism feeds my family, and for this I am thankful. With that said, I found that after replicating the 700th cake message, these people have missed the point. Rather than waiting until the last minute to scrounge up what you can find for dear old mom at the grocery store and pulling it off like you're a hero, wouldn't REAL love be better demonstrated in a homemade dessert? To take the time to plan ahead, and bake a cake, from scratch, with love, where you have to do a mountain of dishes afterward, would be a more sincere gift. Not this running out last second and plopping down the credit card on a generic confection.
I have co-workers who bragged on and on about the lavish gifts poured down upon them. We are talking thousands of dollars on unsentimental, trinkets. They had gotten cards full of words that someone else had been paid to write. They were hoping to get flowers arranged by a stranger's hands. We have come to this, a holiday where some mothers make a wish list of extravagant items they expect to receive on their special day. It seems to me that we have lost the original intention of this day set aside to share a special moment with the person who has given of herself to give us everything.
I was welcomed home by the most precious homemade surprises. My kids worked together, sharing their individual talents and interests, to create my gift. They made me an animated video, with songs they wrote and performed using movie maker. It is the most special gift. It is fabulous to me because it is a piece of them. They intimately proved to me that I am doing a good job fostering their talents and ingenuity. They love me so much that they chose to share what's special about them, with me. I appreciate that more than any generic Visa card transaction can buy. I know I am loved. My gift is one of a kind, because I am certainly a one of a kind mother.
