Mother’s Day – and it’s enough!
Mother’s Day means so many different things to so many different people around the world. In fact, it’s not even celebrated on the same day all around the world. My best friend in the UK celebrates in March each year! Here in Australia we celebrate in May and in other countries it is celebrated in August.
History of Mother’s Day
Some sources say that Mother’s Day can be traced back to Ancient Greek times where it was a celebration of the Ancient Greek God Rhea, the Mother of the Gods! In modern day times, Mother’s Day is traced back to two women Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, American women who started and continued the traditions in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
However what is universally celebrated is the tradition of recognising the role, commitment and love that many mothers shower on their families across the world.
Breakfasts, gifts and love for Mum
What I love about Mother’s Day, now that my son is 8 years old, is that he is old enough to consider the day in advance, to make a plan, organise a present (thank you wonderful primary school Mother’s Day stall!) and stash it surreptitiously in his bedroom keeping it a surprise until the morning of the big day.
In the morning he knocks on my bedroom door and, much like Christmas, asks if he can ‘do the presents now?’ I get up and he showers me with lovely presents. This year it was a picture frame ‘I ♥ Mum’, a coffee cup (this boy knows me well) and some sweets (possibly for him more so than me – he’s no fool!) And we met up with family and went out for an 8am breakfast of pastries and coffee and juice.
And then the day became the usual run of Sunday errands and outings: a ride in the park, grocery shopping, tidying the house, getting ready for school (NAPLAN next week), laundry… errands, chores, more errands.. ooops I forgot to fill the car up with petrol… back out again to get petrol… but today, and I am not sure why, I didn’t get cross with the endless ‘to do’ list. I wasn’t frustrated. I stopped and thought about it and I was grateful. I HAD ENOUGH!
Mother’s Day Gratitude
I had enough time to do the errands. I had enough money to pay for the groceries. I had enough family support to ensure my son DID get me a present (or two) and enough love from one little boy to make all the fluster and ‘busy-ness’ be OK.
So in the car on the way home from the grocery shop Master 8 and I reflected on what we are grateful for this Mother’s Day.
He went first with his list:
♥ You, mummy
♥ My family and my friends
♥ The travel we get to do
♥ How we get to go on cruises
My list looked like this:
♥ Him
♥ My family, my friends & work mates
♥ The sunshine in our beautiful city
♥ … and the fact that I have ENOUGH
And in the moment, I realised today, Mother’s Day that I have ENOUGH. And I realised that in my life I have enough. My happiness is enough. I remembered AGAIN how I have ALWAYS had ENOUGH.
I wish you a calm and relaxing end to another Mother’s Day, whether it be your first, or one of many. And I wish you to have enough.
