Mother's Day

I found myself in a very grumpy mood this mother's day.  It's not because my family forgot about Mother's Day.  My kids and husband gave me a bicycle, a helmet and a seat and helmet for my youngest child.  My kids also gave me handmade cards, my daughter gave me a laminated book of her artwork and my son bought some things at the Awana store for me.  It was lovely.

Here's the thing, I believe that mothers should be honored.  We work hard every day and we rarely get a break.  My mom worked hard for us and would still do anything for us.  My grandma was right beside her, helping out with us any way she could.  I want to take time to honor them and thank them for everything they have done and still do.

What upset me was stupid!  It was something that was not important.  In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter at all, but it bothered me that there is no good way to celebrate mother's day.  If you go out to eat, you have to wait forever.  If you eat at home, the moms somehow end up working.  If you pick up something, you end up settling for something that nobody really wants.  I feel like every year we end up doing something that no one is really excited about, it's just what's easiest.

Later, I realized how selfish and shallow my reasoning for my crankiness was.  I have so many blessings.  I have three wonderful children who were so excited to share Mother's Day with me.  I know so many people who would love to have children, but for one reason or another have not been able to so far.  I have an amazing family that I was able to spend the day with.  I have friends who were missing their mothers this Mother's Day.  They would have been happy to grab anything with their moms just one more time.  When I started realizing this, it's amazing how quickly my attitude changed.  Instead of being cranky about having to settle on our dinner options, I was thankful for all the blessings in my life.  I know that someday my children may not live close to me.  I know that someday I may not have my grandma or mom around anymore.  I need to embrace these moments instead of griping about things that don't matter.

Once I changed my attitude, I was able to appreciate the day.  I was thankful for the thoughtful gifts that my children, parents and grandparents gave me.  I was thankful for the phone call from my nieces.  I enjoyed watching my children and my nieces play in my grandparent's backyard.  They got to learn games that I played as a child and I found myself laughing as I watched them play.  I enjoyed time talking with my family and playing games with them.  By the time I went to bed that night, my grumpiness had completely evaporated and it had been replaced by gratitude.  It's amazing how quickly my attitude can adjust once I focus on what's important and stop dramatizing what is ultimately unimportant.