Mothers day has always been important to me for many reasons...but
my number one reason is that MY mom, Linda, is definitely a woman
to be celebrated! Having been her only child and raising me on her own, it was on this day every year that I could express my sole appreciation and love for her. Whether I tried to show it by cooking a homemade breakfast (usually with me pestering her all through it trying to find items I needed in the process), a funny card, or even a "free" backrub (minus the eye roll and dollar-per-minute charge for extra spending money), I wanted her to know how special she was to me.
Having been at Southwest almost 12 years now, my mom also has the
benefit of my flight privileges. We've been great traveling buddies
on numerous trips such as: a few times to Paris, criss-crossing the
country to go to the beach, rodeos, airshows, hockey games, not to
mention quick day trips to places like LA, Las Vegas, and San Antonio.
But on all of them-together.
Our usual Mother's Day trip has been back to my Grammy's house in
Peoria, IL, so that all three generations can celebrate together.
Because my mom lives in Phoenix (the desert) and I live in Dallas (the
concrete jungle), this trek usually meant our being like the musical,
and having to "Meet Me In St. Louis." From there, our bonding in the
drive usually involved catching up with lost conversations missed in
our daily phone calls, heavy spring storms (some with tornadic
activity), "freak exercises" (created BY us, to keep our blood moving
in the car), and the annual reminder of how much green there really is
in a Midwestern spring!
Celebrating mom is a little different this year, because we're meeting
in Pittsburgh to see the Penguins-Montreal Canadiens in their playoff
series (Go Pens!). Anticipating another fun time with my mom reminds
me how truly blessed i am to have such ready and easy access to seeing my awesome mom.
I'm excited for all of those new moms and moms-to-be celebrating their first mothers day, but my heart is also with all of those whose moms are no longer with them--especially if it's the first time without. I hope all of you moms out there enjoy YOUR special day! I love you
Mama!!!