Why I dislike Mother's Day

There, you are reading it here first: the reasons I think Mother's Day is ridiculous after children leave the home.

Admittedly, when my 7 kids were young , the whole idea of actually having a day to sit back, relax, be given cards and gifts, and special hugs from my adoring children, did appeal to me. It made me feel, if not special, at least appreciated for the orchestrator of all things Home Like. Dad did his best to keep up, but since it fell on a Sunday , since he was a Pastor whose job description included Sunday as a work day, and since we rarely worked on the Sabbath......well, see what I am getting at here? How hard was it to put a lunch in the Crockpot, then have the kids throw me a breakfast in bed on their way to the race to the bathroom and getting ready for church? There wasn't even any laundry to do, for crying out loud.

The funniest part for me was the kids all watching me eat whatever they brought me for breakfast. It developed from a piece of dry toast and popcorn in 1977 ish to a gourmet breakfast in bed, on a tray with flowers, by the time they all flew out of the nest. That was well over 30 years of experimentation on a mom who was often made to lie flat and live without a cup of coffee for a very l-o-n-g period of time.

Fast forward to 2012, former husband having flown from this nest about 11 years prior, and all children snuggled nicely in their own lifestyles. Seven different kids, seven different lifestyles, and not a one wanting to enter quietly into my kitchen, pop some toast in the toaster and produce a mouth-watering version of  Emeril's Live Surprise Mom show. Ok, so as I wrote that , I began feeling a tiny bitty bit depressed all over again thinking how maybe that would be a fun idea....oh, but wait! that is my point!!!

The Mother's Day Sunday in May is BOGUS. My children are the same the day before and the day after, they love me whether or not they sent me a card, got me a candle, or invited me over for dinner. It's a fact. I may not FEEL the love every single day, but I am pretty sure it is there, even when their moods are altered by work overload and daily drama.

The media began asking , taking polls even~ "what is your favorite Mother's Day gift?", for about a month before the day arrived, forcing usually normal people to become obsessed about what to give their mom in order to make her feel happy. Candy? Flowers? Time alone? Wine? Jewelry? Hallmark cards? How about that cruise she has always longed for? After a few times of hearing it I began wondering to myself what exactly was that perfect gift I would want to receive from my children??

There you have it, not able to be purchased, no food included, priceless gift. The price, of course, was that Jesus Christ already paid for this gift of Truth - for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I shared this with my children for 365 days a year, (not just over toast on Mother's Day) all the years of their lives at home, and I am waiting, sometimes patiently and sometimes not, for them all 7 to be walking in that Truth.

Why do I dislike Mother's Day?
Because for that one single day, every year, the expectations of joy become more important than the Truth.

I love that God gave me children to teach about the Truth. Thank you Lord for these gifts is on my lips daily.  I love that the Truth remains so, even when this mom gets grumpy and sad and frustrated, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Mother's Day? not so much.