A Mother’s Day Wish

Last Year on Mothers day,  my son gave me a wonderful gift with a spa day theme, and I was thrilled! I love, love all those feminine Mother’s Day gifts. I love shiny things, sparkly trinkets, nice smelling soaps and lotions, and perfumes. And I love flowers. I love beautiful cards with beautiful words.

I especially love it when in those cards they say how much they love me and how much they appreciate all my hard mothering work. No, they are not that articulate but I get their point. It’s the thought that counts right? But really they do try.

As anyone can tell those kinds of gifts always have me tickled pink. Well, not pink exactly, orange maybe. I am black or brown so no way I can turn pink no matter how tickled I maybe.

This Mother’s Day though I find I wish for a whole different type of Mother’s Day gifts.

My Wishes for Mother’s Day are as follows;

What I really want for Mother’s Day at the very top of my list is that this Mother’s Day and all the other Mother’s Days to follow will find my children hearty and healthy.

A healthy child whether an infant or one in their forties is the mother s joy and I am no different. I wish that my children continue to be in safe places. Mostly I pray that wherever they are may it always be a safe haven.

You know how the world has become crazy these days. A world where the traditional safe places can turn into danger zones in a matter of minutes.

And on that note on safety, this Mother’s Day, I wish that my children will remember that it is dangerous to text and drive.

May they remember those driving safety lessons always, and that they keep in mind,  it is better to be late to get somewhere than never ever to get there or anywhere at all in the first place.

Better to get to work late, than never to arrive at work again ever.

As they drive I hope they know that that meeting with friends can wait just a little longer. Better to see those friends a few minutes later, delay the fun than never ever to be around with them and to have fun again ever.Safety.

Yes, that one keeps me up at night. I hope this Mother’s Day, my children will give me the gift of a good night’s sleep, worry-free, knowing that they have learned the rules of road safety.

But let’s face it.  A mother is always a mother, and there will always be something to keep me up at night. It is just the nature of motherhood. We worry when they are little, about their runny noses, and when they are teenagers about their ability to make good friends. We hope that they are included.

We all know middle school and high school can be tough places with a cut-throat social status competition. And when they are fledgling adults, then, then the stakes a really high. We worry about myriad life-changing things. So it’s true. Mothering worries are forever.

I thought those first few months when I woke up every two hours to feed tiny little mouths were the only times I would miss sleep. I was wrong.

I woke up then many times to feed them. Now I will pray every time I am awake at night worrying about my kid. I will be beseeching God to keep my babies safe.

This Mother’s Day I wish that my children have the courage to go for their dreams and to dream big, going for those things that keep them passionate about life, knowing, they have only one life to live.

I wish that they do not sleepwalk in it in survival mode, but take it with both hands and make their dreams happen.

I wish for the gift of a thriving life. Their thriving.  Their living full and fulfilled lives would be the best gift ever, this Mother day, and many mothers days to come.

It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks the traditional success is supposed to look like. If my children want to be gypsies and that makes them feel fulfilled, why not?   I will not stand in their way.

A career as a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or whatever else people make lots of money it would be nice. But if they can wake up every morning looking forward to facing the day because they love what they do, how nice would that be? That would be a great gift to me.

So, this Mother’s Day I wish that my children find those things that make their souls sing. That they have a spring in their step and a bounce in their spirit. That would be a wonderful gift this Mother’s Day… and all the other mother’s days to come.

What else do I want for Mother’s Day?

Yes, as my children grow into their early adulthood, I know they will meet people.

They will choose girlfriends and boyfriends. My wish for them this Mother’s Day is that they find people who will love them unconditionally, that they will love in return too.

I know that’s a tall order, one may say. Unconditional love.  But is there a better thing in this world than to find one’s soulmate.

The joy of being with one who truly gets you, whose happiness is your happiness and vice versa. One whom you are comfortable with on the dance floor as well as when you sit together on the couch in companionable silence?

Were my children to find true love, what a nice gift that would be.

The gift of knowing that there is someone else out there who loves them as much as I do. That to me is the ultimate gift. Their happiness.

I hope I am not wishing for too much or too many gifts this Mother’s Day. But this Mother’s Day, I would love it if my children gave me the gift of keeping a clean house.

That they may make me proud when I walk into their threshold and find neat orderly living rooms and kitchens. Yes, every room kept clean and neat. Too much maybe? You think? Is it selfish, a tad much? Oh well, pardon me a moment of vanity perhaps.

Yes. I would love it if they kept spotless living spaces.

What a gift It would be! I know I don’t live there and it’s their apartment so for heaven’s sake they can do whatever in the world they want and they can clean or not.

But you see, keeping their apartments clean gives me the gift of knowing I taught them some valuable life lessons.

It reflects on me. Doesn’t it? So, I’d be thrilled by that gift. You see I just want them to be happy and at peace and science has proven that a chaotic environment is not good for the mind.

So,  there! Doesn’t that redeem me a tiny bit? I am not in the least being selfish here.

Most importantly, the gift I would love the best is that my children always know I am, and will always be here for them, so long as I am on this earth.

And I  will be their guardian angel when I am gone from the world.

That they always feel loved and cherished by me. And that they call just to chat and feel the same enthusiasm when we talk as when they wanted to tell me about their school day adventures when they were seven.

Yes, I am still interested in hearing how their day is today as I was then. I’d love it if they knew they can talk to me about their concerns and their troubles and that I will listen and not be judgmental.

It can be tough to be quiet and listen sometimes, but my wish is that I will do my best to give them my undivided attention.

I am here for them. I will listen. Girlfriend troubles, boyfriend troubles, and any other trouble I will comfort and guide them. This Mother’s Day, I would love the gift of being needed.

I want the gift of their time,  just a few minutes every now and then when they call just to talk. And a  few visits home would be nice.

 I would love it so much if my children would give me the gift of taking quiet moments for themselves every now and then.

Taking time to step away from those shiny screens and maybe perhaps take a walk around the neighborhood, or in the park, and commune with nature.

The natural world does indeed calm the soul.  It’s a good antidote for the mind.

So yes it would be good if my children left the distraction of the social media world and experience the wonder of nature occasionally.

I hope they can keep the love of reading that I tried so hard to instill in them.

Books are so important for cognitive development, opening minds to the world at large. Yes, I hope they read for fun sometimes.

I still miss those times we sat and read together, those times I read to them before bed.

I chuckled to myself remembering how my daughter made me read to her Cinderella over and over.

Hope they will choose a book over social media or video games every so often.

Above all, this Mother’s Day, I hope to get one gift. I hope that my children know I love them with all my heart, that I pray for them daily. This Mother’s Day I want them to be happy.

And that alone is the best gift they can give me.

So that’s about it! It doesn’t take much to make me happy. What about you? Tell me in the comments what you wish for this Mother’s Day.