Mother's Day

Mother's Day makes me sad. I know people who are probably so sick of hearing that.  Especially since I say it every year. But it does.  

I know I have friends who feel the same way.  Friends with kids and without kids, for various reasons. Those that have lost their moms, like me, especially.  Most of the single friends I know don't like Mother's Day either.  

When your kids are little Mother's Day is really just a reason for your partner to buy you a gift and say thanks for being the mother of my children.  Here's a present that I bought for you "from the kids". 

That's not happening when you are both the mom and the dad rolled into one. (I am in awe of single moms.  You guys rock.  You really do). 

I know that Mother's Day is just a Hallmark holiday, the same as Valentine's Day. I'm not sure why I let it affect me the way it does. 

I think if my mom was still here I wouldn't dislike the day so much.  I just feel so....left out.  

I learned many years ago not to go to church on Mother's Day.   I learned that one the hard way. There's a good article going around in fb about that very topic.   The last time I went to church on Mother's Day(I think five years ago) I cried through the whole service.  As people came into the church they gave all of the mothers a pink rose. I didn't take one.  Then in the middle of the service they had all the mothers stand and they prayed over them. I was one of very few women(aside from children and teenagers) who didn't stand.  Then they played a slide show of children telling their Mothers what they loved the most about them.   I sobbed through the rest of the service and felt like an idiot.  It pretty much sucked and I haven't gone back to a Mother's Day service since.

There have been many mother's days in the past that I stayed in bed all day.  

Others we have gone to the movies so I could sit in a dark room and didn't have to see everyone else out with their mothers.

This year I was dreading Mother's Day yet again.  

Until I got an e-mail from our dragon boat team asking if we wanted to participate in a special training practice both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  Ummmmmm.....heck yeah I do!!

So for the first time in a very long time I am looking forward to Mother's Day. I wil spend my day out on the water in the sunshine and salty air with a group of people that I love, and getting a great workout to boot. I couldn't ask for anything more than that!

I might still feel a twinge of sadness on Mother's Day.  But that's ok.

For those of you who struggle with Mother's Day along with me, know that you aren't alone. I wish we could all get together for a cup of coffee(or maybe a nice stiff drink) but since we can't I'll just send a virtual hug out into the universe and hope that you'll  feel it.

If you are celebrating, I am happy for you and I hope you have a great day.

And for the first time in a long time I really mean it.  ;)