No More Breakfast in Bed

Mother's Day is just a few days away.

My family won't be together on Mother's Day this year,

but I am looking forward to our family trip to visit Kerry

in Nashville soon.  We'll celebrate then.

I was thinking today about how we used to celebrate Mother's Day.

I would lay in bed and pretend I was still sleeping

until 3 excited faces showed up at my bedroom door.

One of them had a paper and pencil to take my breakfast order.

Then they ran downstairs to begin their work.

The newspaper was delivered to me in bed to pass the time.

A flower was cut from the garden for a vase.

Toast was made.  Eggs.  Orange juice.  Hand-made cards.

I would hear their voices and picture their faces in my head.

Then my husband would carry the bed tray with the kids on his heels

and set it over my lap.

Sounds luxurious, right?  Let me tell you a little secret.

I always hated breakfast in bed!

I always felt lonely in the bedroom by myself.

I always wanted to be in the kitchen with them

I always felt trapped by the breakfast tray over my lap.

And I always acted like I was the luckiest mom in the world.

Mothers often do such things.

We're happy to put aside what we really want 

to make our children happy.

We teach them how to love by example.

We see the world through their eyes - and learn from them.

Knowing my children were working together to make my day special

was worth any discomfort I was feeling. 

If I had to choose the one thing in my life that has given me the most joy

 and made me into the best person I could be, 

it would be motherhood.

I love being a mom.

I'm also glad the traditional breakfast-in-bed is a thing of the past!