One of my favorite memories of Mother's Day doesn't involve an awesome gift or even a perfect day. In fact I worked harder that one Sunday than any other holiday EVER but the memories and the thought and effort put into trying to please me is one that still warms my heart.
Corey was 4 and Trey was 5 years old and as Don left for church he said to me, "Now Jonna...the boys are downstairs and they are making you breakfast in bed so please just stay here. I don't want you to ruin the suprise they are working on for you." My eyes got wide and Don said, "Don't worry. They aren't cooking anything. They are fine. I have been supervising them." So I laid back on the pillow and waited for this great Mother's Day surprise!
Well finally a few minutes later I hear giggling and noise at the bottom of the stairs. There is much discussion going on and I can hear Trey trying to tell Corey to be careful and to walk up the stairs slower. Corey is saying, "I am Trey. Leave me alone!" Yes brotherly love was occuring. ha. Then I hear a noise and Corey starts crying. Trey runs up the stairs as I am getting out of bed and he tells me, "Mom...get back in bed! We are bringing you breakfast! It is a suprise!" Trey's eyes are full of excitement and I slowly do as he says but am concerned about Corey. Trey says, "Oh he is just being a baby." So after a few more minutes I finally see Trey and Corey walk into my bedroom with a breakfast tray.
They bring it over to me and with giant, sweet smiles sing, "Happy Mother's Day to You" just like the birthday song is sang. It was really sweet and drug on and on and finally ended with a very high note that was hilarious. Then I looked down at my hand crafted breakfast. They had made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some potato chips and some chocolate milk. Unfortunately during the trip up the stairs the chocolate milk had spilled out of the glass and there was just a little bit left. The sandwich was half soggy and had dirt and cat hair on it...apparently it and the chips went down the stairs as well. UGH. It looked so nasty! Trey and Corey both said at once, "Mom! We want you to eat your breakfast! Aren't you excited? It was a surprise!!! We made this just for you!" With much fear and intrepidation I took a bite out of the hairy and dirty sandwich that looked like it came from a scary movie. Oh my it tasted worse than it looked. I think they used half of the container of peanut butter on the sandwich and I don't think the crunch I bit into was peanut butter! Yikes! (I think I my stairs really needed a good vacuuming)
As I managed to smile and quickly swallow that bite of food that morning and acting like it was amazing.... I realized that the sparkle and gleam in my boys eyes were all I needed. I could care less if I got a card or a gift that day. My boys LOVE me and got up early, went out of their way to do something for ME....and that in itself was worth more than anything else I could think of. I gave both of them big hugs and they cuddled with me in bed for a while and thankfully did not make me eat anymore of that dreadful sandwich! ha
Later when I made it to the stairs I noticed a nightmare-ish trail of chocolate milk that started at about 1/2 way up the stairs and had managed to drip all the way down. I could tell that they used about the whole bottle of hershey's syrup to make 8 ounces of chocolate milk for me....the stain was VERY dark and it was on very light carpet. It took me many hours and lots of different chemicals and scrubbing to finally get the carpet looking decent again! OH Happy Mother's Day to me!
No matter how little or how much we are celebrated today; that does not determine our worth or our value as a Mom. And you cannot equate that with how much your children love you either. Every season in life is different and has it's pros and cons as well as it's ups and downs. The problem is that our expectations can sometimes be so very high that we become disappointed in the moment. When my kids were small they made me things with their own hands and were so excited to do things for me. Now that they are older they easily just go buy me things from my "wish list" at my favorite boutique and probably don't think twice about it. People may look at what I got for mother's day and wish that they got it as well. But what they don't realize is that I wish I was getting a smudgy handprint picture or a flower picked lovingly from the neighbor's yard......or breakfast in bed made with little hands that just want to do their best. Now of course...I NEVER want to get a stain on my carpet like that EVER AGAIN. LOL.
Cherish the moments in your life today and don't compare them with others because you will miss the fact that the "disaster" that occured on what was supossed to be your "special day" will in fact be one of your very favorite memories of the love that your children has for you....and that memory is priceless.
Adjust that Crown,
Jonna
Corey was 4 and Trey was 5 years old and as Don left for church he said to me, "Now Jonna...the boys are downstairs and they are making you breakfast in bed so please just stay here. I don't want you to ruin the suprise they are working on for you." My eyes got wide and Don said, "Don't worry. They aren't cooking anything. They are fine. I have been supervising them." So I laid back on the pillow and waited for this great Mother's Day surprise!Well finally a few minutes later I hear giggling and noise at the bottom of the stairs. There is much discussion going on and I can hear Trey trying to tell Corey to be careful and to walk up the stairs slower. Corey is saying, "I am Trey. Leave me alone!" Yes brotherly love was occuring. ha. Then I hear a noise and Corey starts crying. Trey runs up the stairs as I am getting out of bed and he tells me, "Mom...get back in bed! We are bringing you breakfast! It is a suprise!" Trey's eyes are full of excitement and I slowly do as he says but am concerned about Corey. Trey says, "Oh he is just being a baby." So after a few more minutes I finally see Trey and Corey walk into my bedroom with a breakfast tray.
They bring it over to me and with giant, sweet smiles sing, "Happy Mother's Day to You" just like the birthday song is sang. It was really sweet and drug on and on and finally ended with a very high note that was hilarious. Then I looked down at my hand crafted breakfast. They had made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some potato chips and some chocolate milk. Unfortunately during the trip up the stairs the chocolate milk had spilled out of the glass and there was just a little bit left. The sandwich was half soggy and had dirt and cat hair on it...apparently it and the chips went down the stairs as well. UGH. It looked so nasty! Trey and Corey both said at once, "Mom! We want you to eat your breakfast! Aren't you excited? It was a surprise!!! We made this just for you!" With much fear and intrepidation I took a bite out of the hairy and dirty sandwich that looked like it came from a scary movie. Oh my it tasted worse than it looked. I think they used half of the container of peanut butter on the sandwich and I don't think the crunch I bit into was peanut butter! Yikes! (I think I my stairs really needed a good vacuuming)
As I managed to smile and quickly swallow that bite of food that morning and acting like it was amazing.... I realized that the sparkle and gleam in my boys eyes were all I needed. I could care less if I got a card or a gift that day. My boys LOVE me and got up early, went out of their way to do something for ME....and that in itself was worth more than anything else I could think of. I gave both of them big hugs and they cuddled with me in bed for a while and thankfully did not make me eat anymore of that dreadful sandwich! ha
Later when I made it to the stairs I noticed a nightmare-ish trail of chocolate milk that started at about 1/2 way up the stairs and had managed to drip all the way down. I could tell that they used about the whole bottle of hershey's syrup to make 8 ounces of chocolate milk for me....the stain was VERY dark and it was on very light carpet. It took me many hours and lots of different chemicals and scrubbing to finally get the carpet looking decent again! OH Happy Mother's Day to me!
No matter how little or how much we are celebrated today; that does not determine our worth or our value as a Mom. And you cannot equate that with how much your children love you either. Every season in life is different and has it's pros and cons as well as it's ups and downs. The problem is that our expectations can sometimes be so very high that we become disappointed in the moment. When my kids were small they made me things with their own hands and were so excited to do things for me. Now that they are older they easily just go buy me things from my "wish list" at my favorite boutique and probably don't think twice about it. People may look at what I got for mother's day and wish that they got it as well. But what they don't realize is that I wish I was getting a smudgy handprint picture or a flower picked lovingly from the neighbor's yard......or breakfast in bed made with little hands that just want to do their best. Now of course...I NEVER want to get a stain on my carpet like that EVER AGAIN. LOL.
Cherish the moments in your life today and don't compare them with others because you will miss the fact that the "disaster" that occured on what was supossed to be your "special day" will in fact be one of your very favorite memories of the love that your children has for you....and that memory is priceless.
Adjust that Crown,
Jonna
