emd

Happy Mothers Day to all the great Moms on here. A special Mothers Day wish to those whose struggles and happy times I have followed here in the last few months since I've been more active on the board-- Scarlett, Olive-Oyl, ellen_griswold, fainaagain, our new mother, Ani, and all the others.
A special wish for comfort for all the Moms of service people in the war. Hard enough to be separated, but it must be a very hard day to know they are potentially in harms way today. God bless you all.
My Mom has Alzheimers and I watch her deteriorate from afar, mostly through my sister's who live closer to the center she lives in now. We used to travel together, twice through Europe and to visit her realtives in Germany and Switzerland. Now she has no idea where she is. If your Mom is alive and alert today, I hope you will call her or give her a big hug. Good health and cognitive functioning is so precious.
My own kids were up late writing poetry and making little things for me, trying to keep from giving it all to me last night (how many more years do I have of that at ages 11 and 13?) I have alot to be thankful for.

mitchdesj

Happy Mother's day to you; so sorry about your mom, it's nice that you travelled together, lovely memories to cherish.

My 2 kids (24 and 27) are out of the country but I'll take my own mom (76) out to dinner.
I'm thankful she is there and able to come.

diann

Emd, What a nice thought to write. Thanks and Happy mothers day to everyone. Sorry about your Mom. MY mom is on the West coast I sent flowers to her, she is 86 bless her heart. We will take my Mother in law out to eat and see a play today. My boys, 21 and 28 one will be visiting, one is in the Navy stationed in Florida. I will hear from them both. Love to all.

ellen_griswold

Aww emd, you're just the sweetest. What a wonderful example you're setting for your two children - they're blessed. I'm so sorry about your mom - that has to be very tough. Despite the great times and memories you've shared, its normal to just want more. I no longer have my mom so i totally relate...but as someone told me, just because a life ends, the love never does. My m.i.l. is precious but its different.... I hope you have the best day with your wonderful family! If you haven't already, frame some of those sweet little gifts of love from your lil darlins!

I say this because i woke up to my bathroom mirror and 6 ft. kitchen island covered in balloons, ribbons and the sweeeeetest sign / mini-poster from DD... (just turned 17)... the reasons why she lvoes me. It made me cry. (granted, shes a rah-rah so making signs is a regular activity!) I'll frame this too and hang it with the others in our master BR. Its especially heartening on blurry eyed chaotic mornings to remember why we do what we do!

Yes, enjoy each nanno-second with them because you'll blink and your oldest will be in college! But i'm thrilled that our DS is majorly bummed that he can't take time off from his summer internship and travel... (welcome to the real world, 'rusty'! )... that he still wants to travel with us! We do have a ball. I'm thankful hes confident (and cool -smiles!!!) enough to still wanna hang with us...he even joined us for dinner and a movie last night (but then his GF isn't home from her college yet). And now i have to rally the troops for church and meeting family (m.i.l. etc) from brunch.

Blessings to ALL the wonderful moms today, you're doing the most important work on earth. As Abe Lincoln once said, "All i am or ever hope to be, i owe to my mother."

bonniebroad

Happy Mother's Day, emd, and to all the mothers on this board. My Mom is almost ninety, also has Alzheimers, and hasn't been able to call my name for about a year now. When my sister and I feed her lunch today, we will look into her eyes, hoping for that sweet, loving expression that says to us, "I so love you, my dear daughters, and would tell you if I could." If you still have your mother, please let her know how much you love her today.

Though my son is several states away, I received beautiful flowers yesterday, and will hear from him today. I am blessed to have an angel for a mother and a terrific son!

Scarlett

Aawww honey, what a lovely post to wake up to!
I got my cards from my daughter and an email from my son in Japan, so I am content.
Well, I will be content when he is back in the US but this is fine for now.
Best of Everything to all Moms and soon to be's and Dads who fill in for them.
Scarlett

OliveOyl

What a sweet and thoughtful note emd! Thank you and Happy Mother's Day to you as well, and to all the Moms here.

The only kindness that Alzheimers has is that those suffering from it eventually have no idea, and it's only those of us on the other side that ache. You've got wonderful memories of great times emd, and your own children are now making new ones for you which you'll always cherish too.

Between our 2 children and my thoughtful husband, our living room looks like a florist shop! The "kids" are 33 and 30, one in Phoenix, the other Dallas. Our daughter was here two weeks ago and we are going to Dallas in two weeks to spend a long weekend with our son, but I'll talk with them both today.

I took a couple of things away from our daughter getting sick this year. The first is that once a year visits just won't cut it. We have always said at our annual Thanksgiving get togethers that we needed to make those trips more often, and now are doing it. This was a wake-up call. Take nothing for granted!

The 2nd is that your "Mom-ness" never diminishes, not even an iota although your chicks may be grown and gone. You will still fly to their sides in a second if they are in distress, and your worry is as intense as when they were infants and sick, when they couldn't talk so you couldn't figure out what was wrong. Our daughter developed a fever following her surgery in March and I had to restrain myself from going into her room and actually putting the thermometer under her tongue myself, then taking it out, reading it and shaking it down. I was Mom-On-Ready-Alert Status, hopping right back into the role as if no time had ever elapsed. The intensity of caring never diminishes. The concern for their happiness and well-being is every bit as strong now as when they were little.

Likewise with the good now that we are on the other side of this, you share their happiness and victories as well, just as when they were still under our wings. I had thought our relationship had changed when they were grown, that we were more like best friends now, and we are, but "Mom" is still lurking right beneath the surface, ready to spring into action whenever needed, every bit as alive and well as when they were still in the house. As one of my friends commented when we were in the midst of this trauma, "Motherhood is a lifetime sentence". It is, and a terrific one to have! Happy Mother's Day all.

Statia

What wonderful Mother's Day stories and sentiments.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you great Fodorite Moms. I nearly lost my mother on Valentine's Day this year, so I'm happy to say that although I'm far away from her today, I still have her here on this earth to celebrate another year.

Meesthare

Let me add my voice to the chorus. My own mom died on Mother's Day 13 years ago. But my New York daughter phoned this morning to tell me that my 6-month-old grandson has a tooth (a tiny pointy one, she says) and my California daughter will be phoning this afternoon, and my two sons and their families will be here for dinner tonight, and it's a happy day, all things considered. Hope it's happy for everyone out there!

Judyrem

Wonderful sentiments here from ALL of you. It really made my day. I felt truly "rich" when 2 lovely flower arrangments came yesterday from my thoughtful wonderful children ages 33 and 29. One of the best comments my daughter relayed when we were visiting her and her Navy husband last week, was that she tells people that she really likes her parents as people, and that we are fun! I am blessed, I hope all you mothers are too!

Tess

I'll add to emd's good wishes and special prayers and thoughts for Moms everywhere. I'm so lucky to have my Mom living nearby--DH is cooking for the whole family tonight. DS and DD woke me up this morning with breakfast in bed--so cute and I have to say that at 15 and 12, breakfasts have improved from the cookies and water Mother's Day breakfasts-in-bed when they were little (but--small voice--I miss those days...).

I feel so blessed this Mother's Day after a really scary week--my 12 year old daughter had to have a brain MRI on Tuesday after a routine sinus x-ray turned up 'something suspicious.' Happily the report was normal and I've spent the last few days hugging my children non-stop when I can catch them! Happy Mother's Day to you all!

GoTravel

Y'all are making me cry! Happy Mother's Day to those on the board and prayers to you with sick parents.

My best friend and I took our mothers to breakfast, mass, then out for cocktails with the priest. Maybe that's what is making me weepy.

Haven't heard from my stepchildren but I don't think stepmothers are celebrated.

Again, Happy Mother's Day to you all!

buckeyemom

I received this in Church this morning and thought I would share it:

"Blessed is the Mother who lifts the hearts of her family through understanding and caring ways.
"Blessed is the Mother who shares her wisdom and guides her children..."

Happy Mother's Day Go Travel and all the other Mother's out there.

dwoodliff

This is my first Mother's Day without my Mom, who passed away last year at age 92. I am so thankful to have had her for half a century. She was the sweetest thing!

Today, my 4 kids and 2 grandkids took me out for lunch. I intended to foot the bill, because I can better afford it than any of them, but my oldest son snatched it up while I was talking and paid the whole thing! My own Mom always insisted on paying for Mother's Day lunch as her gift to us for making her a mother and grandmother. I tried to tell my son that my "gift" was getting to be with all of them at the same time, but he wouldn't hear of it.

We also ran into one of my very best friends and her family, whom I hadn't seen in a while, and saw my former boss (an old sour-puss). I ducked my head, and thankfully we were seated on the opposite side of the restaurant.

I hope everyone else's Mother's Day was as nice as mine. The weather is beautiful here in Texas. Everything is so pretty and green, and the yard has been full of colorful birds all day, visiting the bird feeder my younger daughter gave me for Mother's Day last year.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Scarlett

I got my call from Japan (son) and visited with my daughter, the Yankee took me out for a lovely dinner.
so this Mama is content~

caribtraveler

Happy Mother's Day to all of you.
Lucky you if you still have your Mom. My mom passed away three years ago and missed meeting our two-year-old, but he'll know all about her.
My wonderful husband took me to a fabulous Italian restaurant and to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Those dancers are just superb. Got a wonderful hug from our 2-year-old when we got back.
Again, Happy Mother's Day to all!