Happy (insert word of choice here) Day!



ooh, pretty!

I started out this morning with the intention of talking a bit about the history of Mother's Day. That it started out as a religious celebration, then a call for peace from too many moms who watched their sons die in battle, then became one woman's quest to honor her mother and ours.

Then the card and candy and flower companies took over. Apparently the rich love their moms more than the poor do. yes, I'm being sarcastic

So, forget that post. Instead, let me talk about being thankful - which may or may not have anything to do with Mother's Day. Feel free to add anything you're thankful for today in the comments section (and please do!).

~ I have to start with my kids, of course. Zachary is 11 and Jacob will be 6 at the end of the month. They make me laugh and cry and shout and yell and feel alive every day of my life. Today they made me peanut butter toast, yogurt, and apples and blueberries for breakfast all by themselves. I am so lucky to be their mom.

~ To my father's parents: his mom at parts of her life worked as a stay-at-home mom, a shoe-factory worker, a cheese-factory worker, a farm hand, and a school cook. My grandpa was a police officer. They raised four sons and two daughters. My grandfather passed away a year ago today and my grandmother still lives in her own home.

~To my mother's parents: her mom was a beautician who opened her own shop in a small room of their home (which my aunt still owns and runs) and my grandfather was a mechanic. They raised 11 children (2 from my grandma's first marriage and 9 together) - if they had stopped at a more sane number of children, like say 7, I would not be here.

~ For all of my "surrogate" moms out there. With so many aunts and uncles - and cousins!-, it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle, but so many of them took great care of my sister and I, I've always felt loved and protected. A special shout-out to my mom's twin sister, who never had children yet never forgets me or my kids on our birthdays and Christmas. And to my own sister, who will never have children (by choice), but still cares for many.

~ To my children's grandparents. They are so lucky to have a beautiful connection with both sets. Even when I'm completely exasperated with my boys, they know *somebody* out there loves them. ;)

~ To all of the adoptive parents, both those that have their children and those on waiting lists. It is a long, difficult process and my heart and thanks goes out to all of you. Without adoption, there would be a lot of lost children out there.

~ To the babies who didn't make it to term. As parents, we grieve for these losses, yet are forever changed by our children we never got to meet.

~ To the trees and the flowers and the dirt and the plants. Spring is here and through it, we can all experience the miracles of life. (and for those of you in the other hemisphere - fall is a reminder that spring is coming. or at least those of us with a short growing season like to think of it that way!)

~ Since both of us are teachers as well as moms, I can't forget to be thankful for all the second-moms in my kids' lives who have no biological connection to them at all. Babysitters, daycare providers, teachers - you helped raise my kids and I will forever appreciate it.