20 years ago, I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day as a mother. My son, Ian had just arrived in February, and I had no idea what I was doing. Three years later, his sister, Rachel arrived and I thought I was getting the hang of it. Little did I know how much I had to learn. Raising young adults has proven every bit as challenging. I keep finding things I've forgotten to tell them, teach them or show them.
Then, there are moments when I realize, I've done okay.
Today, while my husband and I spent the afternoon at the spa for our anniversary, my 17-year-old daughter enlisted the aid of her best friend to give the house a much needed cleaning. (I've been engrossed in getting The Alien Accord ready to go back to the editor for one last pass, as well as everything else going on in my 'day job' and life in general; housekeeping has been at the bottom of my to-do list.) This was her present to me.
On top of that, my 20-year-old son surprised me by making the drive up from Ada (about 1 1/2 from home) just to see me for Mother's Day. I had no idea he was coming, but I was thrilled to death just to get to spend a couple of hours with him. This was his present to me.
As an author, I'm always thinking about words and what they mean. When I see a play on words I think there must be something to it; today, I found one. While my children gave me their presents, I was equally as grateful for their presence. Having them anticipate my needs and what I would appreciate meant more than money could buy, and I couldn't be any more pleased with what they have given me today.
To every mom out there, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, full of presence ... and presents.
