Take the time to show you care

Loraine Debnam
Community Comment

For over ninety years May has been the month for celebrating Mother’s Day. This day for recognizing mothers began in 1907 and was approved by the Congress of the United States in 1914. The trend soon moved on the other countries around the world. Too bad we have to have a special day to remind us to appreciate our moms.

During the month of February there were any number of articles and editorials about Valentine’s Day and how commercial it had become. These were part of the repetitive theme which began during the Christmas season. It started me wondering how a greeting card company or a florist chain had gained such a foothold on celebrations which were, and are, for me filled with wonderful sentiments and happier memories.  It seems to me that it all boils down to the hectic pace of our lives. Maybe we think we don’t have time to do or say everything we should and the cards and the flowers make us feel better about the lack of time we give to the most important people in our lives. It only can be too commercial if we, the consumers, allow it to be by spending our money on the products. I have in my collection of special items, a lumpy, handmade and not quite circular, vibrant blue and scarlet bowl with the words “I love you Mommy” scratched in the clay on the bottom. It means more to me than any lead crystal masterpiece.

When I listen to the complaints and the whining about these special days, I can’t help but think about some of my friends and neighbors who would give anything to have their mom or dad or friend or sweetheart back in their lives to celebrate the day with. Too often we don’t tell them how very much we love them until the time is getting short or is gone altogether. It only takes a few minutes to call or drop a line to someone you care about just to let them know you are thinking of them and holding them in your heart. Sentimental nonsense – I don’t think so. At the end of the day, what do we have that means more than knowing we are loved and important in someone else’s life? Material things don’t measure up to the lift of your heart and spirits when some spontaneous act of kindness or love is directed your way.

As time races away and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and Grandparent’s Day and Valentine’s Day all come and go, maybe they are necessary reminders of how our lives should be. People are more important than things. Every day is a special day, a gift, when the people I love are in it.  Some of us are lucky enough to still have a parent, a child, a grandchild and others that we love, close to us.

As a daughter, Happy Mother’s Day Mom, in case I forgot to tell you yesterday and the day before, you’re the best and having you in my daily life makes it so much richer. As a mother, I treasure the telephone calls (from my now grown sculptress) when she asks my opinion about something she is doing or planning to do…the words are different but the message is the same …”I love you Mommy”. (And now my grandson is blessing me with comments like “Nana you know EVERYTHING!). Life can be so very good if we take the time.