The other night as my husband and I were tucking our 4-year old son into bed (or what seemed to be hour two of the bedtime marathon routine), my husband asked, “what do you think mommy should get for Mothers Day?” My head immediately went to thoughts of a relaxing massage; some rarely encountered quiet time or maybe some shopping. My son then answered, “Well, I think she would love it if I drew her a picture.”
My. Heart. Melted.
Maybe he caught me in a moment of sheer exhaustion or mom guilt, I mean, he comes home from Pre-K with at least 4,000 new pictures every day that I have to figure out purposes for (ahem, like which ones might end up in recycling). But when I thought about him being so confident that the best present he could possibly give me was a hand made picture, I honestly couldn’t think of anything I would rather have.
It was a moment that made me stop and think how blessed I am.
Maybe it’s because I know too many women going through heartache right now. Those that are moms or those that desperately want to be moms. I’m aware of too much pain in the world lately. I think this has been heavy on my heart So, in that moment I knew that a picture from my happy and healthy four year old was truly a priceless gift.
As moms, it is impossible to always feel appreciated for everything that we do. In fact, we don’t even expect to be appreciated 24/7. It’s our job to keep the wheels turning on our lives. I often get frustrated with the clutter around our house. Kids toys and artwork seem to consume even the areas that I swear I just organized yesterday. I tend to look at the clutter as just another thing to conquer. I think the reason my son’s comment struck such a chord is because it made me stop. It made me think. It made me realize that to him, those pictures are not clutter. When he makes something specifically for me, as I predict he might be this week for Mother’s Day, that is his present to me. I’m not going crazy and saying that I will keep every single drawing my kids make. I am much too Type A for that. But I am saying that I might begin treasuring certain pieces a bit more.
This Mothers Day, I really do plan on counting the blessings that I have in my two happy and healthy children.
(But don’t tell my husband, because once I count those blessings, I will also welcome some quiet time or a manicure/pedicure appointment).
This Mother’s Day, take a moment to count your blessings. Tell a mom in your life how much she means to you! If you are in the process of becoming a mom (whatever that journey might be), today is for you too!
And then, go ahead and feel even more appreciated with some much deserved and guilt free “me time”! All Mom Does approved!
