Tuesday, May 5, 2015

For All You Do, Mom

 
Well, Mother's Day is almost here, so today I went out looking for just the right card to express my love and appreciation to my sweet Mama.  It's difficult, however, to encompass the vast array of loving deeds that our mothers do and have done for us in just a simple fold of cardstock. 

Indeed, there are some lovely cards out there with beautiful sentiments for Mother like.....  
 
"I thank you
For each truth you've helped me see.
I thank you
For each tear you cried for me.
I thank you
For the heartache that you've known.
I thank you
For the wisdom you have shown.  
Thanks are easily given
But as I hope you are aware
I'll give you something more precious
My devotion, love, and care."  
or
 
"You gave the gift of life to me
And then when the time came, you set me free.
I thank you for your loving care,
And now for just being there."
or

"You're loved so very much
for everything you do.
Your caring heart and thoughtful ways
are special just like you."
 
 
Those are lovely, yes, but I think the traditional card largely ignores a broad swath of loving acts that our mothers do quietly and without giving a second thought.  Many of them aren't glamorous or typically enjoyable and yet none are covered in the standard greeting card section.  Greeting companies should consider cards which thank our Moms for those unnoticed and unheralded ways in which they've loved us through the years like...    
 
For always insisting you take the last piece of pie when, secretly, she wanted it more than life itself.

For using her cupped hands to catch the contents of your stomach when you got sick in the middle of her favorite dress shop. 

For dragging you to piano lessons every week, kicking and screaming, all while telling you that you'd thank her one day.

For smelling the armpits of the shirts you left on your bedroom floor to determine if they were clean or dirty.

For making you sit up straight and poking your shoulder blades as a reminder to hold your shoulders back. 

For unknowingly walking around with dried spit up on her shoulder for the first year of your life. 

For the muffin top you gave her, which will be with her until the day they close her casket.  

For cooking your favorite meal on your birthday even though it always consisted of a fried meat and three starches.

For reminding you that you were not raised in a barn just before saying, "This is why we can't have nice things".

For carrying your ghastly school picture around in that plastic picture sleeve that came with her wallet. 

For quietly pinching you under the table instead of slapping your face and causing a big scene like she should have.   

For your large head circumference taking away her ability to laugh or sneeze without concern.   

For telling you how pretty you were during those awkward years when she knew the truth.

For using her finger to get the sleep boogers out of the corners of your eyes on your way into church.

For teaching you which fork to use when there were more forks on the table than you could shake a stick at.   

For holding out her arm to keep you from crashing through the windshield.

For letting you lick the beaters before raw eggs were bad.

For all the times you wiped your nose on her blouse and drooled on her skirt in church. 

For sucking out your nasty nose with that bulb thing.   

For holding you over the public toilet, so you wouldn't contract a dreadful disease for which there was no cure. 

For warning you that your eyes would get stuck that way until you finally stopped. 

For never wanting a second piece of chicken.   

For giving you "the talk" as vague, awkward, and uninformative as it was.

For having just enough OCD to insist she glue the pictures down on your science project board, so they'd all be straight.

For all the times you made her cry......like when you took your first step, outgrew your crib, went to kindergarten, told her she was the worst mother ever, and left for college. 

For using your middle name as a warning to you to put your hands up to protect your face.

For bending over the bathtub and bathing your wiggling tail, while her knees dug into the pink ceramic tile.

For cutting your meat up into small pieces, so you didn't choke to death.

For lying to you for your own good about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the fact that spanking you hurt her more than you. 

For agreeing to sit in the passenger seat, while you learned to drive despite the strong possibility that she would die.  

For wearing the $3 necklace that you gave her out in public.....and for the green ring it left around her neck.  

For licking her fingers to get the grape jelly off your face before you got out of the car for school.

For these things and more, we could never thank our mothers enough.  If you find a card, which mentions any of these quiet acts of love and sacrifice, I suggest you buy it.  It would do your mother's heart some good to know that you recognize what an absolute burden you were.......a leech on her very existence.   

Only four more shopping days, so get out there and get your Mama something good! 

Happy Wednesday, y'all! 

 









4 comments:

  1. Blocking the door when you wanted to leave, because your teenage best friend had a "independent " life. Ha! Not! That was back in the mid 70s. To this day, it showed her love and strength for me. Hope your Mom's Day is filled with family and all your favorite delights! Kathleen in Az

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha.......forgot to mention that one, Kathleen! Oh, the things our mothers did for us.

      Delete
  2. For all the introductions made: "And here is my daughter. Isn't she growing up fast?" Sigh. Where is Hallmark when you need them?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my word, Yvette! Do we have the same mother!? Mine has introduced me to anyone who would listen for the last 47 years. I suppose it just means they're proud of us. :)

    ReplyDelete


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