The Mother’s Day Hat

May 9, 2004

If I were to have missed being a Mother, I would have missed it all…the sticky fingers, the Birthday Parties, the flower bouquets, the late night "tuck-ins" with prayers and good night kisses, the "out-of- school, snow days", the frogs, the grasshoppers, the puppies, all those years…up at 6 am and fall in bed by 10 pm.

This morning at Church they were giving out prizes to special Mothers:   the youngest, the most children present.  You know the routine. Well, after those regular prizes came this question: "Is there a Mother here who raised children who were not her own?" Well, tears immediately started flowing, and I was the only one who stood up.

There was some clapping and many smiles. On the way out of the Church building, Jim looked at me and said, " You finally got your reward after all those years!"   Reward…the little gift and the recognition was sweet, but I began thinking about the "real" rewards.

How blessed I have been to be a Mother.  I was a mother to my dolls as a little girl. I was a mother to my cousin, Dianne, every chance I got.  At age 25, my very own baby girl was laid in my arms. I named her after me. Two and a half years later, my very own baby boy was laid in my arms. He was named after his daddy.

After years, and much "water under the bridge"...Russ was nine years old. His mother had died and he had 2 teen-age brothers. Well, we were all grafted in and became another "Brady Bunch". That has been many years and tears ago. My, how time really does fly.

This is the card Russ gave me last evening.

"I know you couldn’t always give me everything you wanted to, but you gave me the things that counted—and that’s all that really matters…You made our home a place rich in love and caring, a place of warmth and laughter, and that was the greatest gift I could have had. So don’t ever feel I lacked for anything. Don’t ever wonder if you could have done something more. The truth is I had everything, because I had you for my mother. With Love on Mother’s Day and Always"….then many sweet personal thoughts written by Russ with the "I love you" at the end.

Is there any wonder that I stood tall when the question in Church came…very fitting that I wore my new white hat. Never mind that other women do not wear hats any more. I do. I will remember this hat as the Mother’s Day Hat, 2004.

Thank you, Lord,  that I did not miss my Blessing of being a Mother.

Lovingly, A