This Sunday is Mother’s Day once again. Most of us who were fortunate enough to grow up in a family environment never realized what it meant to grow up without a mother and thus, unknowingly, tended to take our mothers love and nurturing for granted. Thankfully most of us were raised to become self-sufficient productive members of society. To lead a good life accepting the good and the not-so-good along the way. This didn’t happen by accident. The values we know today were the values instilled in us by our parents and generally most notably by our mother- if you happen to be from the baby-boomer generation. In me and my wife’s case, our fathers were military and, in many instances, deployed a large part of our childhood. Therefore, our mothers played the greater part of our child rearing into adulthood. Not enough can be said about the values instilled in us as a result of our mother’s influence and we are thankful for that each and every day.
Our daughters are both successful each in their own way, and are mothers themselves. The values that were instilled in them as they were raised has helped them become the successful women they are today. Values that were surely passed down from our mothers with some additions along the way. Both daughters tend to remain close to one another and their mother even when they live miles apart. This is the bond that ties, and their mother is the central figure in their lives.
This Mother’s Day, like every Mother’s Day, should be special. Put away the remote, put away the “me” time and make the Day special for mom. Isn’t that really what this Day is for? Show appreciation for things both big and small that helped shape who you are today and be thankful for your mom or mother figure who was there along the way. I know I am.