My cup runneth over... and other Mother's Day Feelings

Mother's Day has always been a great day for me... I tell the children the story of the day they were born, they give me hand made presents I carefully tuck away to gaze at some time down the road when I can't believe how they grew up right before my eyes... I see my own mother and grandmother usually over brunch of some kind and generally walk around publicly feeling like a part of a pretty cool club, smiling at other mom's and nodding hello... but this year takes the cake.

It began with flowers yesterday afternoon and then a breakfast in bed made by the kiddos... followed by the presentation of home made gifts... a poem from my eldest he requested I read out loud full of beauty and charm, a clay flower pot from my daughter with the promise of filling it with flowers... and smiles all around.

But the greatest gifts were yet to be had. My son had a soccer game in which he expected to score a goal as a "present" to me. He played his heart out. Took a ball hard to the chest, stayed determined to keep himself in play, even lost his shoe at one point and kept playing right though it. When the game was over he walked up to me with tearful eyes and said he was sorry he didn't score a goal for me on Mother's day. I looked at him and said, "I'll take heart like that over a goal any day, kiddo. I'm so proud of you." The twinkle in his eyes and the smile that spread across his lips said it all: 'You love me anyway'. You're damn right I do...

We came home this afternoon and took a long bike ride down the trail. My daughter fell about five minutes into the ride, and after a little coaxing got back up and continued along the path. Well it was such a nice day and the trail was so clear we rode a two towns over before we knew it and decided it best to head back. Well my little kiddo was tired and her knee hurt and she was thirsty and she wanted ice cream and I looked at her and said I have none of those things. We're here. We need to get home and that's just that. What happened next was my other great gift of the day... She just started riding. That's it. All the way home. With determination and purpose and I saw, right then and there, that drive... that willingness to carry on even when the odds were stacked against her... it was huge to me.

I have always carried with me the hope that I might teach my children to persevere. Let's face it, as adults we live with that idea or we slowly spiral downwards... life is tough, but you gotta be tougher... that sort of thing. Well today, I saw that in the kiddos... and man was I proud.