Mother's Day

'Christmas In July’ events ... I am not a fan. The concept irritates me. I must say though - I truly enjoyed the ‘Mother’s Day in July’ celebration that my girls planned.  It was a total surprise; the girls not taking any chances that I’d say ‘oh, that’s not necessary … don’t be spending your money’ and the host of other motherly reasons that I would have come up with.

I was in Ireland on Mother’s Day and left for Newfoundland immediately after that. I returned to the excitement of a new baby and then it was Father’s Day.  I know that my kids know that I am their Mother; we don’t need a special occasion to remind any of us of that. They are very good at making me feel honoured and valued every single day so I really wasn't missing anything at all.

It was supposed to be Girl’s Night Out, which we do on occasion – dinner, a movie and a sleepover.  When I arrived, they were already waiting in the van was waiting, and they wouldn’t tell me where we were going ... just that I wouldn't be needing my purse.

It turns out that they had made an appointment at a Clay Café where you paint your own … whatever you want. I picked a teapot and we decided to 'crazy quilt' it.  The unfortunate thing about not telling me that we had a time frame, is that I meandered my way into the evening which meant that we only had 40 minutes to try to create our masterpiece. It was like one of those frantic games where you pass the item around to the next person as quickly as you can, which was fun in itself. When we realized that there was no possibility of getting done in time, we relaxed and happily accepted the fact that we will just have to make time to go back and savour the experience.

Then they took me out for a wonderful dinner at a very classy restaurant and then we went to Alyssa’s lovely home to watch movies, eat more and spend the night.

It was such a beautiful evening.  They were busy fiddling around and getting Spencer fed and settled, so I went for a little stroll through the neighbourhood. I enjoy a 'walk and gawk' in town, looking at everyone's flowerbeds and landscaping.  I was just wandering down the street, when I saw Ashley approaching me. I thought she was coming to enjoy the pleasant evening stroll with me, but she was shaking her head. ‘Mom’, she said, ‘That’s going to be what gets you into a nursing home – wandering off like that … that’s how it starts.’ 

Yep, I am no longer the one keeping a watchful eye on my offspring; worrying about them off on their own in the world; no longer the one excited about planning the surprises for them – the roles are becoming reversed more and more often. But at this point, I get a chuckle out of it ... that might one day change too;)

How blessed I am to have three wonderful daughters that are close and close by ... I do not take that for granted for a single minute.  They are sweet and thoughtful, imaginative, creative and great fun. Any time we get to spend together is a celebration of Motherhood for me no matter what month it is.