Mothers and Children

I have to admit that Mother's Day is probably one of my least favorite days. It started when my children were young and took all my time and energy. Then the teenage years about killed me; I was lucky to get out of that alive. Now my kids are all adults and have their own children and I marvel at how well they take care of their offspring. My patriarchal blessing doesn't mention children so I wasted no time having Mindi ten months after we got married. On Saturday Ethan called and said,"do you want to come to dinner tomorrow? " He knew I have been struggling with some issues in my life and it was nice to go to his house and relax and have a wonderful dinner. Then yesterday Mindi made her famous Cafe Rio Pork and everyone came over for burros on Cinco de Mayo. It does get chaotic when we have nine grand kids plus a few neighbor kids over, but as I sat and watched Ice Age with Ethan and a few of the kids I felt blessed to have my children and grandchildren so close. My Mom always tells me how much she loves me, how happy she is to have her "precious" kids, and that I'm "darling." That's probably not a word that most people would use to describe me, but my Mom thinks I'm wonderful. (She's forgotten how hard I was as a child and teenager.") I guess that is why it is a blessing to grow old and be able to forget the bad times and cherish the good. I know I haven't always been the best mother, but I think all mothers do their absolute best. I don't think any of us think, " what can I do now to screw up my kids." I'm thankful for a Mom that loved me unconditionally despite my faults, there were times when she saved my life as I was growing up. I hope my children know how much I love each one of them and their children also. It would be a lonely life for me if I didn't have them.