Appreciation goes a long way
If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?…. Pilgrims. Ugh. Yes that has to be among the worst dad jokes ever! What is it with dad jokes? By definition, dad jokes are exceptionally dopey, corny abd goofy. This then begs the question, why are there no mother jokes? Is it because mothers are far too cerebral for such folderol? Whatever the reason, it is good that we have a month of colorful blooming flowers with a day to honor mothers.
What is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day? Unfortunately, the celebration, or lack thereof, may not live up to what the advertisements depict as the perfect Mother’s Day. One mother of three teenagers lamented, “I hate Mother’s Day.” She commented about the last minute, obligatory, leftover flowers purchased from the grocery store Sunday morning, or the years when nothing at all was said or done in the home on that annual May-day. The day was more of an awkward nuisance for everyone in the family rather than a celebration.
One man, a grandfather, talking with a few other men in the neighborhood as they compared thoughts on what to do for Mother’s Day, matter-of-factly stated, “I don’t get my wife anything for Mother’s Day. Why should I? She’s not my mother.”
For a day intended to be a joyous time to honor the very person who gave each of us the breath of life, we sometimes fall miserably short of honoring the mothers in our lives.
It is right to have a day to pay tribute to mothers. No other endeavor demands the physical toll, emotional investment, wisdom, eternal love and service as does motherhood. As a whole, society could do a much better job in paying respect to mothers. Not just the individual mother, but wife, grandmother, aunts, all mothers. They all deserve to be recognized.
She’s not expecting another dress or pot of flowers, as nice as those gifts are. But to receive from her children and extended family the acknowledgement of her never ending concern for your welfare and the countless hours, days, years of devotion she has given would be well appreciated. That would be a nice beginning to honoring mothers. Maybe you could even sneak in a dopey dad joke just to add some comic relief.
The time will come when your mother will no longer be here for you to hug and say thank you. This life never has enough time to give sufficient thanks to everyone who has enriched this mortal journey. That is especially true with mothers.