Bathrooms and the Color Purple

I always insist on purple flowers each Spring on my front stoop . . . I refuse to purchase any other color. I adore these little lovelies.

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Mini Photo Session with my girls . . .

Each day I drive past this section of a forest preserve on my way to and from anywhere. Each Spring this patch of field is covered in these lovely purple weeds I imagine. I have wanted to take photos there for the past couple of years, but there is no where to park. Yesterday I felt adventurous and decided I would take the girls there for a 'photo shoot'. I drove to the nearest street near this area and parked my SUV and we walked the rest of the way. The girls thought this a great adventure as we had to walk across the highway, so exciting for little ones. I was so happy to be traipsing through the weeds to capture some amazing "PRETTY photos of my girls.

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Motherhood

I have always felt a bit odd on Mother's Day . . . odd and lost a bit. I don't recall spending wonderful flower-filled Sundays with grandmothers or mothers as a child. Which seems odd to me now as an adult.

Mother's Day was originally initiated as a way to show our mothers how much we as their children value their devotion and sacrifice, and how we appreciate the truth, purity and broad charity of a mother's love.2005 helping my daughter climb The Great Wall of ChinaAs I child I never had any of those feelings towards my own mother. I never had my own mother's devotion and she certainly never sacrificed anything for me. Yes, I have a mother, but I don't have a mother. Which is an awkward position to be in at times. Attempting to explain to a stranger why one is estranged from their own mother is, well, annoying to me at times. I later learned to say, my parents are no longer in my life. This stops all looks and judgement (sometimes).

2007 Mother's DayI never had trouble relating to my friends who had wonderful mothers. In fact, I devoured their interactions. What I did do was watch closely how these mothers treated their daughters and sons. I watched women that I admired over the years and took a bit of everyone of them. A piece, a memory, an endearing moment, a smile, a peal of laughter . . . these small moments that I tucked away to later use when I finally became a parent myself. I had to steal other's moments because I didn't have any of my own.

2008 MichiganWhen I finally had a baby of my own, I insisted that this special day, Mother's Day, was my own to celebrate in the manner that I choose. I choose to be with my husband and my son and that was it. My first Mother's Day was perhaps the first Mother's Day that I really got it. If I need a mother's day idea, I look into my heart, thinking of my feelings on that first Mother's Day, my first year as a mother.

Over the years, I had a couple more children and my heart swelled to an even larger size, filling up with an abundnace of love. Last year was the most pleasant of Mother's Day for me . . . just quite simply a lovely day spent with my children and my husband.

2009 Mother's DayThis year I got the same (only a few tantrums in the mix) . . . I am thrilled to be part of a day that recognizes mothers and their many contributions. But in real­ity, moth­ers are some­thing to be cel­e­brated every day. I don’t need one day in 365 to be shown love and appre­ci­a­tion . . . I get that everyday!

 

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