Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom.

You don't remember anymore but when I was about 8, dad took me to the store to buy you a gift for Mother's Day and I selected what had to be the ugliest cross ever created. It was dark green, very shiny, and heavy on the fake gold. I remember it had some large stone in the middle, where the bars intersected. When I picked it out, I recall being impressed with its size and weight, the heavy gold chain in my small hand. I'm sure dad tried to steer me away from this cross but I clearly won that argument.  I remember that I couldn't wait for you to see it. Dad and I brought it home, wrapped it up and gave it to you. I don't remember what happened when you opened it, but I remember you wearing it all day, and telling me how much you appreciated my gift.

I think about that day often and about the many lessons that you taught me. That day, you showed me how important it was to be grateful for the thoughtfulness behind a gift. You taught me that it is more important to love the giver, than the gift. You showed me that you valued that I had spent time selecting this especially for you. You wore the cross all day, showing me how important it was to demonstrate gratefulness. You probably had hopes for something else, maybe even something practical- but you never let a disappointed sigh, hint or word cross your lips. In fact, you never got rid of the cross - I remember seeing it fairly recently. You held onto it, much later than you needed to. Even when I became an adult, and tried to dismiss the ugliness of it, you continued to refer to it with great affection.

Thank you mom, for the lessons of that day and the many that came later. I hope our gifts to you in the years between have shown you how truly grateful we are to you.