Have you already planned your gifts for Mother’s Day this year, or are you stumped about what to get the woman who may or may not have everything she wants right now?
This past year, we all learned how to cherish time spent in person as the greatest gift we could give to the ones we love. Some of us were separated from some of our moms this year, particularly if they are living in a senior living community, but we found workarounds, whether FaceTime, Skype, or many text messages. Yet, nothing takes the place of a hug, frankly.
Moms are always our first champions in life, cheering us on, whether or not we did anything cheer-worthy. We hear them saying, “Good job,” in our heads as we think back to our earliest days. They filled the front of the refrigerators with our artwork, proudly. They cheered loudest at our sporting events because that’s just what they do.
When you ask them what they might like for “their day,” they modestly say they don’t really need anything, so you really need to be creative. Sitting at my computer last week, I just started making a list of things about my Mom that distinguish her from other moms.
I added things she does that make me proud that she’s my Mom. I thought about how many of my friends agree that she’s a great Mom, listing them one by one. By the end of my reflections, I had a nice long list, which will be her card this year, along with a few things she might like.
One thing Chelsea and I are giving Mom this year is the gift of a long-awaited grandchild! We are all so excited that it’s hard to know who is happiest. Some friends threw us a Gender Reveal Party, so that’s where we learned the answer who’s the newest member of the Jones family. Chelsea will make a beautiful, wonderful Mom this year, too.
Whether you find yourself having just seen your Mom this week or whether you lost her 10 years ago, she is the one woman in your world that you can talk about for 15 minutes straight, without taking a breath to think about her! The impression she creates in our world is permanent, bold, and often comes with a great sense of humor. After all, Moms need a sense of humor to raise some of us, right? Maybe I challenged my Mom’s patience a time or two, but she never made me feel badly about it.
Growing up, whenever I had success in my day, a good grade on a test, or scored a goal in soccer, she was the first one to congratulate me. If I fell down on the field, my dad might say, “Get up, you’re fine!” and Mom would look over and say, “Everything all right?” to which I’d naturally react with bravery. She was always that comforting balance in my life.
When I fell in love with Chelsea, one thing I felt certain about is her ability to be a loving mother was already strong, as she had a great relationship with her brothers that continues today.
I already know she will be a fantastic mother and she and my Mom will share a lot of good times and discussions about every development in the baby from birth forward. We kept it a secret from ourselves as to if we’d have a boy or girl. Recently our friends Kris and Natasha Karstens and Scott and Kym Schultz co-hosted our reveal. Jeremy Taylor and Kirsten Crawford flew the plane with the colored smoke in it. Watch our video here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codydjones10/videos/10165100559705249
If you are wondering what to do for your Mom because she seems to have everything, you can share with her the memories of when she helped you be brave, when she helped you conquer something that scared you, how she always made your favorite meal to make you feel better or cheer you up, how she never missed a sporting event that you were in, how she saw every dive you took off the diving board as a kid, and how proud she told you that you made her, every day of your life. Make a list of all these memories and print it out on a card, or print it on special art paper and frame it. Or, just write it on the inside of a card you find especially for her.
Moms say and do all these things by just their nature. Their compassion, patience, and intelligence prepare them for all the things we tend to do to upset their sense of calm each day! It’s not intentional, but at time all children are handfuls! When your Mom says there’s nothing you can’t do, you learn to believe in yourself, because she does. She’s always the first to defend you (even if you’re wrong) and she’s also likely to run interference for you with your Dad if you’re about to be punished. At least sometimes it seems that way!
She’s the one who tapes every drawing you make to the refrigerator, proudly. She also saves all your grade cards back from kindergarten forward and refuses to part with them because “her baby” did those.
I think Chelsea will be just like that and I smile to think about it. A special dinner or lunch is always appreciated, and it doesn’t have to be on Mother’s Day. It can just be “for Mother’s Day.” If your loved one is missing a Mother this year for the first time, or longer, take time to reach out and share a memory of yours about the Mother they loved. Ask about them, remember them out loud, and share your time maybe looking at photographs on Facebook when people share them, and take some time appreciating all the Mothers who made it possible for you to have the friends and extended family that you do today.
Whatever kind of parents we become is, in large part, based on bringing the best parts of our lives to the next generation as we start on our pathway with our children. That’s the very best we can hope for.
Thank you, Mom, for everything you are, to Chelsea and me. You are forever loved. Happy Mother’s Day!
Cody D. Jones, ‘02
Owner & Community Member
