Mothering

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day, here in the Northeast we had our first really warm day in maybe eight months!! Everyone was out walking, running, bike riding, you name it, we all came out of hibernation to see the sun and enjoy the warmth.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my family, going to mass, then brunch and bike riding with my husband and the kids.  Two things marked the day -- the first, at our church's mass the priest or the lectors, didn't mention mothers or Mother's Day until the very end.  Not once.  Nothing about Mary or any other remarkable mother for that matter.  It seemed very unusual and I thought more than a bit sad.  Mothers are often the center of a family and it is on everyone's mind so why not address it during the mass?  I am a life long Catholic and happily so, but sometimes I just don't understand a priest's decision to ignore the obvious? Women are such a vital part of the Church and historically, they have been undervalued.  I know that this has not been the values that Pope Frances has been communicating and I hope he will continue to speak out on behalf of women for the future of the Church.

My family in 1971.  My mother was so young in this photo 
just 38 years old and  already had 7 children with one more to follow!

Second, there is always a lot of speculation about the value of spending time on social media etc.. which I admit can be mindless a lot of the time.  But the true beauty of social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, is the collective sharing of holidays, celebrations etc...  To see so many people's pictures of their mothers, some photos from 40 years ago (mine included) was just beautiful.  I loved seeing my friends poignant tribute to their moms, what they loved about them or what their child or husband had done for them on Mother's Day.  All kinds of women (and men I might add) talking about their moms, their children and step children (i wish we could find a new term for this, seems antique!).  We hear so much negative sometimes about how hard it is to raise kids, violence in the world, divorce etc.. it was like a big group hug to see all that love people have for their children or their mothers.  I live far away from many friends and family so for me, social media is a nice way to stay in touch with my friends and see their children grow up even though I can't be there every day. 

My own children gave me each very special cards. One really sweet idea at our school is for some grades, the kids do a Coupon book.  It is full of coupons that my son gave to me of things he thought I would like, from washing the dishes to unlimited hugs for a day and more!.  Adorable and priceless.

Finally, I can't end all of these good thoughts without mentioning the wonderful email I received from one of my friends last week that just made my day.  Her daughter gave a presentation to her school about her community service and she used a quote from me on her presentation board, "Community service is not about checking a box.  It's a way of life."

How humbling and inspiring for me to see that a young girl was inspired to use my words.  When I have given interviews about volunteering or philanthropy I always assume it is the adults I am reaching but like sponges, kids soak up what is out there and it was so nice to see that she had taken it to heart. Really triggered my happiness out of the blue.  So tell someone you know something you appreciate about them today, tell them what you admire about them and you will give them a gift all day long.

Have a great day.  #triggerhappiness