A Token Of Appreciation

Today is a very special day! It’s no secret I have lived away from family for several years. My heart breaks when I cannot be there to share the special moments with the people I love. I got a HUGE surprise yesterday. I found out my brother booked my mother a ticket to fly out and spend her birthday here with me. What can I do to make the day special enough to let her know how much I love and appreciate her? Everyone deserves a day when the world stops to honor them. Everyone deserves to feel good and happy and special.

As a mother myself, I know all too well the sacrifices me make for our family, especially our children. We put our lives on hold to give everything we have. People forget that we are only human. We do the best we can while we are often dealing with our own personal issues that we don’t bother to burden our families with. We carry a lot. Sometimes it becomes heavy but we put our best effort at a smile on our face and we keep being wife and mom. Life isn’t always perfect for us but we are so busy making life as perfect as we can for everyone else that sometimes everyone else forgets how important we really are. Kids are selfish and immature. They like to blame mom for everything because the day comes when mom stops fixing everything. It’s tough being a mom. It’s tough to love your kids so much that every time you see them hurt, you feel that pain twice as much. You spend hours at night praying that God will take that pain away from them and make it your own. You love them so much that you put up with their disrespect and you see past the things you wish they hadn’t become. You love them unconditionally while at the same time they continue to test and put conditions on you. It is hard and it is rewarding and it is a role many can’t separate from. We lose ourselves in our children and then one day they go away and we are standing there tearfully wondering where the time went while we were busy handing over every piece of our heart.

Again, how can I let this wonderful woman know how very special she is to me? I know it hasn’t been easy but she’s always been there even when I’ve pushed her away. She is my most loyal friend, my most honest critic and I am so very grateful and honored that she is here with me.

Life is short. We have to show people how important they are each and every day. We have to find a way to push our egos and selfishness aside and say thank you to the person who nurtured us from the time we were in her womb. Thank you mom for never giving up on us even when you should have. Thanks for always forgiving through the things we said that hurt deep enough to leave scars. Thank you for being a constant source of love and protection and for providing a place my heart can always call home. Happy birthday and I wish you a day filled with many moments of love and appreciation. I wish you a day to be selfish and important and happy and free of worry. You have always been and always will be my very best friend. Thank you for sharing this day with me.