mother's day - 2009

It's Sunday, 5/10/09, and it's also sunny, something that hasn't happened around here that much. So while I'm inside typing, M and K are outside planting plants and enjoying the sunshine. And L is napping upstairs. Both she and K are badly in need of good naps, given that they've been short on sleep the last couple of days.

Oh, yeah, it's also mother's (mothers' ?) day.

I have mixed feelings about the day. It feels like a "hallmark card" day in a lot of ways. A made-up day for which we're supposed to consume like good Americans: buy buy buy, show your love.... On the other hand, I'm all for mothers. I have one, and my wife is one, and they're both wonderful women. But as I told M yesterday, I tend to think about all she does as a mother on the birthdays of our girls (and virtually every second between! Of course!!).

I think I was scarred for mother's day some years back when, after years and years of believing my mom and I were on the same page with regard to mother's day, she out of the blue said something that was roughly "you could have called on mother's day." Until this point we'd had an understanding (I thought) that it was a greeting card holiday and that I would acknowledge her immense contributions to the person I am in other ways.

Now I try to call her on mother's day. (She was out this year, so I left a message.)

Happy day, all you mothers.