Oh Happy Days

by
Suzann Darnall

Amidst the death, destruction, and despair of the current headlines, I look forward to a weekend celebrating life and love. Saturday is the birthday of my dear husband, Pete. And, of course, Sunday is Mother's Day.

I always think the following scripture fits our May celebratory weekend so well:

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12

My husband and I have been sharing . . . or "fighting" over . . . the Mom Day weekend since the birth of our first daughter, Charly, over 33 years ago. But, it has always been a battle filled with much joy and many laughs. Of course, there is always less competition when we each get our own day and don't have to share the same day. What can I say? We are both spoiled!

This year is particularly special since we will have our youngest daughter, Amanda, plus her children, Lorelle and Tyler, to celebrate with us. On the down side we will probably not get our oldest daughter, Charly, and her family (husband Casey, as well as daughters Logan, Mckayla, and Tabitha) as they will likely be going up to spend the holiday with her husband's mother, Harriet. But, that also is part of the weekend tradition. You know that whole thing about having to share.

We are not planning anything extravagant, just a relaxing weekend with some yummy food and maybe some fun family activities. Really cool is that I won't have to cook on Mother's Day! Pete and the grandkids are going to fix a simple meal that day. Of course, I will have to buy the frozen lasagna and garlic toast when I do my end of week grocery shopping. It's all good, though. I still won't be cooking on the day!

At some point during the day I will call my mother, Pat, to pass along my best wishes for her. I always send her my gift early, so she has already been enjoying it. I usually contact my daughters as well, since I appreciate them making me a grandmother. In years gone by I acknowledged my grandmothers as well, but they have been gone now for many years. I also want to take a short space here to wish all the mothers a very "Happy Mother's Day!" As well as to wish my husband a very "Happy Birthday!"

While gifts, cards, flowers and food are nice, most important this weekend is the celebration of family that these events actually represent. This is particularly important in a time when our government is literally trying to take the traditional family apart with legislation and segments of our society are assisting in the destruction with a constant bombardment of liberal attacks on anything moral or ethical.

Family is one of the greatest treasures we can ever have. It is also one of the strongest fibers in a healthy society. Family is the basic building block of society. If it is weakened, our entire society becomes at risk. So, we must each take personal responsibility for doing our part to keep our families strong. And, sometimes strength comes from the little things, like a celebration with family, food, and fun.

So, take a little time this weekend to honor your mother and celebrate your family. Make a small move back towards an old-fashioned society where respect for our elders was an every day event. And, have a nice time while you do it. It will drive the Liberals crazy!

© Suzann C. Darnall, MAY 2013