Sunday is Mother's day.
Some will be able to spend the day with their mothers (assuming everyone is vaccinated).
It's a far cry from last year - when everything and everyone was locked down.
This year, you can go out to Brunch ( at 75 percent), many will go to church with Mom, or Sunday dinner. If you eat at home, with a fully vaccinated family, you can even do that without your masks.
There will definitely be a lot of cheerful "reunions" this year, after COVID forced families to stay apart, smile and blow kisses through the glass, or FaceTime when possible. It all gave me time to reflect on what this day has meant to me over the years.
I don't recall making cards for my mother when I was a child, but she saved every one of them. I didn't know that until after she was gone, and my sister and I were going thru her things. By then I too was a mother, and I knew the value of those homemade cards.
I remember striking out on my own, and hosting "Mother's Day" dinner at my apartment - for my mother, her sister, my grandmother and my Godmother. It wasn't fancy. I was an average cook at best, but those dinners were perfect because there was so much love around the table.
After I got married and started a family of my own, we would host the grandmothers on Mother's Day ( and YES, the grandfather's on Father's Day) to say thanks for always loving us. By then I had mantle full of those homemade cards.
Me and my momLynne Hayes-Freeland
But as the years have gone by, the gatherings have gotten smaller and smaller.
My mom is gone - along with her sister, my grandmother and my Godmother.
My kids are grown ( my son with kids of his own) and they all live in another city. As if that's not enough, last year brought the pandemic. I couldn't even spend time with my "adopted" Mothers….You know, your best friend's mom, or your mom's best friend. Last year ushered in a lot of new holiday traditions.
My mother was a gardener. She loved flowers, planting, pulling weeds, growing vegetables. It was her happy place, and for most of my adult life, I had NO interest in it. My mother was an active member of this area's only African American garden club at the time, The Stoop and Bend club. I went to all of their events and affairs, but always rejected the idea of joining.
Well fast forward to pandemic summer. I had a lot of time on my hands, and decided hmmmm maybe I will try a porch garden. Growing from the porch wasn't my first choice, but I wasn't sure how the deer would react to a buffet, so I decided to keep it our of their reach.
My tomatoes did well, but nothing else. It was a fun effort, if not a very fruitful. But I'm not giving up. I am learning more about "living with deer" and this time I've done my homework.
The deerLynne Hayes-Freeland
So this Mother's Day for me, won't be spent with loved ones, but in an odd sort of way it will be paying tribute to my Mom. I am working in the garden. The weather forecast isn't great, but that never stopped my Mother. She worked in the yard rain or shine, hot or chilly. She nurtured her flowers with the same love and concern she showed us. She showed off her proud accomplishments - her Barbara Bush Rose bush - almost as proudly as she talked about us to friends who would listen.
I don't think Mother's Day without mom gets any easier - but we learn to maneuver through it. We learn to celebrate and remember those things about mom that made us smile and feel good. For me this year it's in the garden.
