A Personal Point of Order
First, I want to go on record as saying, “Every day is freaking Mother’s Day.” In other words, honoring one’s mother, father or grandparents is an ongoing practice, not a day to be celebrated. I feel this way about Brotherhood week, Christmas’ Peace on Earth, and any other holiday that asks people to be more special than they are all year. We need to treat each other with kindness and respect all the time.
Mother’s Day Conundrum
The first time it happened, we’d finished dinner, put the baby to bed, and sat in front of the TV eating ice cream. My husband, Michael, quieter than usual. “What’s up?” I said.
Focusing in his ice cream, he said, “Umm. How important is Mother’s Day to you?”
“I don’t know, it’s my first. Why?”
“Well, umm, there’s this bridge tournament and I’ve been asked to play.”
“On Mother’s Day?”
He nodded. “Would….”
I said, “You’re asking me if you can spend my first time ever Mother’s Day with someone else at a bridge table.”
The Perfect Partner
Michael, a Bridge Master, was the nicest guy ever to sit at a bridge table. He had a mathematical mind, could count cards, memorize hands, read about then in Bridge World, and his always evident kindness and good humor made him quite the catch for mixed team tournaments. Women loved to play as his partner and against him. He never yelled nor admonished his partners. He was my mother’s favorite partner. She was also a Bridge Master.
A Workable Solution
He said, “What are you thinking?”
“If you’d like to switch Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, then playing bridge is my Father’s Day gift to you. We’ll celebrate Mother’s Day in June.
Holiday Philosophy
For us, it was about being together. As my children grew up and had families of their own, holidays became about being with family. It was never about the correctness of celebrating together on the specific day of the holiday, but celebrating together, many times not on the date, but as close as we could get.
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What is Mother’s Day to you?
What do you do for Mother’s Day? Can you remember a time when the planned festivities didn’t go off or didn’t go off as expected? Or, was there a particularly emotional or special Mother’s Day that stands out in your memory? Did you have a ritual that made you laugh or happy? Why does it remain with you to this day? Why was it important? What did you learn?
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