Mother's Day

Mother’s Day. It can be seen as a day of brunches and family gatherings as well a day of reflection and loss. It can be a mixed bag of emotions, with many having lost their own mothers now taking the time to acknowledge their wives, daughters, and granddaughters in their roles as mothers.

This year, Mother’s Day, a day to acknowledge the roles mothers play in all of our lives, feels particularly warranted. With stay-at-home orders, online schooling, and the expectation to keep on marching despite it all, this year has really showcased the strength, love and sacrifice involved in being a mother. This year has also forced many household structures to adjust, giving many fathers a new appreciation for the mothers in their lives!

Amanda, for instance, does the books from home. She has worked around the clock while somehow managing to facilitate online schooling for the two boys and keep the home in some semblance of order. Oh, and did I mention she is 7 months pregnant? Her organizational skills and ability to multi-task continue to amaze me!

With the stay-at-home order in place, this Mother’s Day certainly felt strange. My own mother has been in Mexico for most of the winter, and only arrived home recently. She quarantined for 14 days, only to move into lockdown. So, while we were able to chat on the phone, her lack of physical presence was particularly noticed. She has been here in spirit, but, psychologically, that is not quite the same. It certainly gives me a new appreciation for all of those people whose mothers have passed on, or those who, due to certain lockdown restrictions, have been unable to see their mothers for long durations. For those of us who are fortunate enough to still have their mothers with them, I hope this feeling will help us to appreciate the mothers in our lives all the more when life returns to some sort of normal.

I hope you were all able to derive some meaning from this Mother’s Day.

-Nathan