Counting "Mother's Day" blessings

Here in the northwest states, spring is unpredictable...but this Mother's Day we were blessed with abundant warmth and sunshine and enough breeze to help us remember that it was indeed, still spring and not the middle of August. It was picture perfect...and in this neck of the woods it doesn't go unappreciated...especially when it falls on a day like today when we celebrate and honor motherhood.

I am one of the blessed, who has a loving husband and two loving little children who care enough to honor me...and to top if off, my own mother is still living, as well. I know not everyone is so fortunate so tonight I am feeling quite thankful for it all.

Earlier in the weekend, the girls and I drove down to visit my mom and spend the night.
It was actually the first time both girls came with me for an overnighter there and they were very excited! We had a ride on the carousel and later the girls enjoyed the exploring the huge play structure right outside. Back at "Nammy's" they frolicked with her little dog, Sandy...a fluffy and affectionate thing, who though now getting a bit old, still enjoyed the attention like crazy...until he finally tuckered out and found refuge in my mom's room.

The whole visit was all about spending time with my mom and their grandma, and celebrating Mother's Day a tiny bit early. It was a sweet time of having three generations of gals just being together.
It's amazing...my own mother had me (her only child) in her late 30's...and I ended up having my children in my late 30's, as well...(as did my mother's mother before her!) So we three generations could not be much further apart in where we each are in life. Yet, we are connected by such common bonds...faith, female understandings, and that connectedness that sometimes comes from simply sharing the same genes.

And then, the girls and I came home. Tired, all of us from our little excursion, I was surprised and thrilled to see that my husband had cleaned the entire house and spruced up the yard. It was a nice early Mother's Day gift, to be sure!

The next morning we all went to church, where the service really concentrated on honoring mothers and we sat back and soaked it all in, including a special number from the children's choir featuring our own daughter. There were pictures that many of us had sent in, of us mothers and children doing something special together, up on the screens for all to see...including the one of the girls and I flying a kite at the beach last summer. Seeing my girls and I up there, along with all of the other moms with their children, was very sweet, indeed.

Afterward, my family treated me to a lunch at a great place, on the edge of being out in the country...where we were able to eat semi-outside and enjoy the wonderful weather. On the grounds is a country garden that we strolled through and took pictures together on the benches. I felt I could just stretch out on the grass and nap in the warm sun...and our youngest did the next best thing, sleeping on the way home in the car.

The day ended with our weekly Bible study that we attend with several families, that included some great potluck food and ice cream, all done out on our friends' deck in the warm, sultry air. All in all, a very nice Mother's Day.

I write this all, mostly to remind myself just how blessed I truly am. Motherhood can be hard work...it can be thankless many days, and it's easy to feel taken for granted. But when husband and children do take time to "rise up and call us blessed" on Mother's Day, the sweetness of their appreciation goes a long, long way.

Not all of us are so honored on Mother's Day...not all of us who want children are blessed with them, and certainly not all of us can enjoy the weekend with both mother and children as I did. So, will all the frustrations of life, I know I am truly blessed this Mother's Day...and every day.