The View From Here – Let’s Celebrate Mom

Sunday is Mother’s Day and I want to start early by wishing all the mom’s a very happy Mother’s Day.  I hope you find joy in the day.  I hope you feel celebrated and appreciated and loved for all that you are and all that you do.

I am a proud mom of three amazing kids, and two fur-babies.

The fur-babies are still at home but all three of my kids live somewhere else now.  It’s been a season of change.

My son is in Calgary and has lived there for many years.  Living his dream and loving life.

My oldest daughter found her way to British Columbia this year and is on an adventure of her own, and our youngest daughter moved to London for school.

Empty nester is not something I thought I would call myself for a while.  I thought I had more time.  It’s been an adjustment.  So now, I’ve reached the point with my kids where all I can do is hope and pray I loved them enough, taught them enough and didn’t screw them up too bad. (smile) as they find their way in the world.

I love being a mom and I love that my kids always do something special for me on Mother’s Day, but this time of year is also bittersweet because I miss my mom.

It’s been 34 Mother’s Days without her and there isn’t a single one that gets easier.  If you are in the motherless daughters club, I want you to know that you aren’t alone in the pain this time of year brings.  Even if you think you’re doing okay, or it’s been 34 years, there is something about Mother’s Day that just hits hard.

So, I want to know how you are celebrating Mother’s Day and I want to know how you are celebrating your mom.  I want to know something special about your mom.

What are your greatest memories?  What reminds you of your mom?

For those missing their moms –  I want to know what your mom was like.  I want to know who she was and what she did and what she loved. 

Because there is something powerful that comes with sharing with others that helps to keep the memories alive.

My mom loved flowers.  Lilacs and lilly of the valley.  She loved to garden.  There was one year, when we first moved into our house in Thedford, that I remember us kids were recruited to paint rocks for her garden.  I never understood her love of gardening and painting rocks until I got older and developed some of those habits. (smile)

My mom loved music.  I found out a few years ago that she once worked in an office for a record label and now I understand why we always had so many records in the house.  She loved her records and loved to have dance parties in the living room with us when we were young.

My mom loved to laugh and be silly.  She loved her family and we always had family at our house and every holiday was celebrated and was a big deal.

I miss her.

I miss her so much.

I’m not sure yet how we will celebrate Mother’s Day in our house this year.  But no matter what we do,  and as much as I love to feel celebrated and appreciated and loved by my kids – I will always be Judy’s daughter first.

I will stay offline so I’m not reminded by what I’m missing.  I will probably spend time in my garden.  Maybe this weekend I will put up my hummingbird feeder.  My mom loved her birds, especially the hummingbirds.  And maybe I will find some black eyed susan’s to plant to remember her.

Wishing you a very happy Mother’s Day.

Carrie.

And because it was one of my mom’s favourite songs – I’m sharing this fun video from David Lee Roth.  Make sure you tune in this Friday for a very special Hit List with Jay and Tori as they count down some of the biggest songs chosen by YOU that remind you of your mom.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan