A belated Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!
It's a nice idea to have days set aside that are "special". But in the last ten years or so, I've come to enjoy the "non-special" days a whole lot more. Either Tim or I used to book brunches and get the whole family together to take my mom out on Mother's Day but...somehow...we've all gotten kind of tired of that. It's always so insanely busy and loud and we'd always be waiting in some kind of line, either to get into a place or at a buffet. My mother is getting older and needs to use a cane at times which makes things a bit more difficult for her. I find my patience wearing thin with the crowds and the hoopla. Not that crowds and hoopla don't have their place in my world...it's just that relaxing and enjoying brunch and chatting with my family isn't one of them. So, we've taken to enjoying Mother's Day at home.
The funny thing is...I don't really have any specific memories of those stereotypical Mother's Days brunches. The things I remember are more intimate and casual and a lot of the time, just plain ordinary. I took my mom to lunch last month...just to get us both out of our respective houses. We popped into Rodman Hall (an art gallery/centre) to look at their exhibits. I've been there various times over the years but my mom mentioned to me that this was her first time. "Are you serious?", I asked her. I couldn't believe that she'd never been there after living in the city for nearly 60 years.
We looked at the exhibits and the grounds and the beautiful architecture of the building. (it's a majestic home built by Thomas Rodman Merritt between 1854 and 1863 and is now owned by Brock University) Afterwards we went for lunch in a little cafe downtown. It was nothing special and yet it was.
I remember taking my kids to the movies when they were younger. We saw every kids movie that hit the big screen. Always with popcorn. I can recall vividly having my son sit on my lap during "A Hundred and One Dalmatians" so he could see the screen. I recall the same with my daughter when we went to see "Tarzan".
My daughter and I always stop for frozen yogurt when we go shopping at the mall. It's one of the little things that seems to have a permanent place in my memory.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it's nice to have "Mother's Day", I wonder if it's really all that necessary. The card companies make money, the restaurants make money, the flower shops make money...but it's really all those other ordinary days that make the memories.
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