Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day. This day holds so many different types of memories for me. For most of you – I hope you are spending time with your Mother or that your children are with you for the day.

I am trying to remember back to the earliest Mother’s Day and what I did for my Mother. It was not such a prominent holiday or reason for celebrating 45 to 50 years ago. It was not until I was in my 20’s and 30’s that I heard of Mother’s Day brunches, flowers for Mom, etc.

When I was a child we always would make something in art class at school for Mom. How many of us made an ash tray (remember the times) or a card, or maybe it was a seedling that would turn into a plant is what we would give Mommy.

I can remember 1978 – that was the year I graduated from High Point College (today it is High Point University) it was the Saturday before Mother’s Day and they made a big deal about it being Mother’s Day the very next day. It was a tough day for me because my Mom was dead; but, my Aunt Irma who was also my godmother was there and watched me graduate. She also spent Mother’s Day with me despite having her own son, my cousin Gerry who was home in New York while she was with me in North Carolina.

In my late 30’s and early 40’s we would go to various restaurants for Mother’s Day brunch. It would be my Aunt Irma, my cousin’s family with his wife, his in-laws and me. There are pictures of us heading off for that day – brunch at noon which would also suffice for dinner. I would receive cards from Siobhan and Gerard and I would give my aunt Irma a card.

When I moved to Peekskill – things again changed. My aunt Irma was dead and I decided since I was the only one who was not a Mother I would host Mother’s Day brunch at my house. I would also buy each of the Mom’s a small gift – it was Eilish, Gerry’s wife, Maura, Eilish’s cousin and then in a couple of years Carrie, Gerard’s wife – we did that for a few years and two years ago things changed.

As you know Eilish is in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s, Carrie works at Greenwich hospital on Sundays and Maura also generally works. We still know it is Mother’s Day and wish every Mom we know a wonderful day. Our day has just evolved – it is no longer a morning focused on our Mothers – we will get together – at 2PM today I will head to my cousin’s and have dinner with his children, my niece’s husband and Gerard’s boys. We will each be a little introspective and may even reminisce with each other on our respective Mothers.

We all know that we are a product of our Mother and as we get older we each have become more like our Mothers and we see those characteristics in each other.

I am fortunate and I say that all the time. My cousin Gerry has shared his family with me more than he can ever know. He shared his mother with me when mine died, he and his wife both shared their children with me and Eilish was always so gracious about letting me take her children on vacation and to travel with me. And, now they share their grandchildren with me – I have been truly lucky. I am that “Auntie” Mame in their lives who is able to introduce them to travel, theatre, books and to all the world has to offer.

So give thanks to all the women in your lives who have been a Mother figure; Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Teacher, etc. and remember you do not have to give birth to an individual to be a “mother” figure.

As a Mom or Mother figure – our love is unconditional.