Mother's Day - A Day Like Any Other

This past Sunday was Mother's Day. My day.

It was just like any other day. Sure there were wonderful cards from my husband and children, beautiful flowers and a fabulous dinner from one of my favorite restaurants. But....it was just like every other Sunday, every other day of the week.

I walked around the house and picked up a half dozen pairs of tennis shoes and sandals (none of which were mine). I did several loads of laundry, folded the clothes and set them in the kid's bedrooms. I folded throws on the family room couch, put the remote back in it's place, and vacuumed. I did dishes, emptied the dishwasher, swept the floor and wiped the counter tops.

I answered questions like, "Mom, have you seen my shoes, my car keys, my backpack?" I made Monday's lunches, ran to Target to buy notebooks and pencils and stopped at the ATM to get the kid's lunch money for the week.

I took my son to Barnes and Noble like I do every day so he could do his homework. My daughter and I went grocery shopping like we do every Sunday. It was just a Sunday like every other Sunday.

In the past I've been frustrated by the clutter and chaos. At times I've been short with my kids when they've asked me if I've seen their shoes. My answer has always been the same, "No, I wasn't the last one to wear them". Often the laundry was overwhelming. Many times I was up late washing and drying a uniform in preparation for an early morning game. All too often, I got tired of making lunches and lost my creativity when it came to making meals.

Being a mom is exhausting, a mom's job is never done, and as I look back on the last eighteen years, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

This past Sunday I felt so very blessed. I welcomed the busyness of being a mom and the exhaustion that comes with it because...

Soon, I won't be taking Michael to Barnes and Noble everyday or Courtney to the grocery store for our weekly shopping trip.

Soon, those shoes won't be scattered around the house, the amount of laundry will be diminished, the dishwasher will take weeks to fill and no one will be asking me if I've seen their personal belongings. Everything will rest neatly in their places and for days go untouched.

I enjoyed this Mother's Day more than any other. I cherished each and every moment of the day from picking up the messes to sitting down to dinner with my family. I looked at each of my kid's with a tear in my eye and thanked them for their messes, the quiet time they spent with me at the bookstore and the grocery store, for trusting me to raise them as best I could and for forgiving me for the mistakes I've made along the way. There were plenty.

Inspite of those mistakes I've made, they've grown into two wonderful, caring, loving, successful, loyal, and honest human beings and I couldn't be prouder to be their mom!

Courtney and Michael, I love you!