A Day to Appreciate — and be Appreciated

 

For those of you who are not the last leaf on your family branch, happy Mother's Day. It is always rewarding to feel appreciated. For those who have spent the larger portion of their adult life serving as mother (or mother figure), today is your day.

Likewise, it is a day for all of us to turn our thoughts to the mother (or mother figure) who made things better in our own life. When we thought we just couldn't go on one more step, when no matter how much we tried, we just couldn't figure out the answer, when we felt awful, or too tired, or miserable in countless other ways, that's when the mother we're now celebrating seemed to know just what to do.

Of course, for many of us, that mother is long gone. All that's left is the memories. But we still appreciate what those memories stood for.

It was on a Mother's Day eleven years ago when I began a journey to capture those fleeting memories with my first post on this blog. Since then, for nearly four thousand days straight, this has been my spot to note the family history memories once preserved for me by my mother, who passed along the stories she remembered from her mother and grandmother, aunts and other family members. Remembering those stories—and diligently seeking the facts to fill in the blanks where memories failed them—is one way to appreciate those mothers. 

We have, however, several others who have represented mother figures for us along the twists and turns of life: teachers, mentors, guides, older sisters, wise friends. In my blogging adventure, I've had some mentors who have "mothered" my writing progress, for whom I'm still very grateful.

We may never fully realize the impact of gratefulness—the perfectly timed, well-chosen words—but if ever there was a day for showing appreciation, whether toward an actual mother, or in her stead, toward a supportive mother figure along our blossoming, growing path, today is the perfect day to reach out and appreciate someone for the value she's added, the power she's bestowed upon your hopes and dreams.