Full of Grace - Mother’s Day

This was my second Mother’s Day without my mother.  I thought it would get easier, but no.   With the passing of time, I realize more and more how much she taught me, how much she influenced every aspect of my life.  And how much I am like her - the good, and the pain in the ass stuff.    Still, to balance the missing ache, both my daughters made their way home.  

Here are some of the highlights of my day:

- An early call from my sister. We made each other cry talking about our mom and how much we miss her.   I am so glad to have someone to share this sorrow with.

- Peachie, who came Friday night, told me she couldn’t afford a present because she had to pay a $175 ticket for having an open container.   Yep, she always makes me proud.

-Instead she gave me a personal training session at the gym on Saturday, including measuring my VO2, which meant me pedaling a bike at a higher and higher resistance while she took my heart rate.  And then, after I was a sweaty mess and fearing a heart attack, she did my body fat calculations.  Just what every mom wants - her kid pulling lumps of fat off her body and measuring it with calipers.  I completed her testing (except the push ups which my recent surgery fortunately prohibited) and was pronounced fit. . .

. . . for my age.

Why does that phrase now linger after every health diagnosis?   But I digress . . .  

Her gift also included a lot of strength and endurance exercises and suggestions, especially designed for my hiking/backpacking training.  She had put a lot of time and thought into her work-up and I was very impressed.

-Beaner came only for Sunday.  She was supposed be home in the morning but was still hung over from Daiquiri Day on Saturday.  (Yup, so proud my daughters have learned to drink heartily in college : )  She rolled in around 1 pm.  But she did make dinner - spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce - to accommodate Martha’s WW diet.   Very good.

- Texts from the boyfriends wishing us a happy day.  I do like boyfriends who suck up the parentals.   

- Planting flowers and vegetables. Finally! I think Spring has at last arrived.

- My family gave me a gift of a Magical Bullet (thanks e for the recommendation)  and we all made fruit smoothies.    This will get a lot of good use in my household.   And I found whole websites full of Nutella smoothie recipes.  

-  Mother’s Day cards that made me cry.    I am a sentimental fool.

All in all, a bittersweet day.   So much missing my mother.   So much love from our daughters.  

I know so many people who struggle with Mother’s Day because they had hard or non-existent relationships with their mothers or their mother’s died so young.   Martha’s parents had both died before she was 14.  I was blessed to have my mom well into my adult life.  And I am grateful for every moment of it.