All about a day.
I had one of the best Mother’s Day in the 14+ years of being a mom and am so thankful for it!
Before leaving for lunch, an annual tradition with one of my closest friends, I was asked to meet my family under our pool pavilion and was showered with hugs, cards, thoughtful gifts and a beautiful floral arrangement with some of my favorite flowers- irises & peonies. After lunch, I watched my son’s baseball game and then we all changed into dressy clothes for a family dinner in Boston!
It was such a pleasant day. My husband and I knew from the beginning that parenting a blended family was not going to be an easy feat given certain challenges we faced, and continue to face that brings us all levels of stress and anxiety at any given time. So when the pandemic hit and we were faced with lock downs and isolation, we faced it as another challenge in our journey as individuals and as a blended family. While we didn’t anticipate all the difficulties the pandemic would bring, especially the kids remote schooling and the aftermath of what’s still TBD with the isolation they faced, it allowed for some serious quality time with the kids. It was like time stood still for almost a year. We know having a freshman and two 8th graders, them hanging with us and not on the go will be slim to none as they get older. Don’t get me wrong, I had my moments being home with them every day with virtual schooling, napping, eating, bickering, poking etc, but I kept telling myself three things-
1. Give yourself grace
2. No parent is ever perfect, let alone in a world full of firsts with a pandemic
3. We are meeting the #1 priority as parents by giving these 3 kids a safe and loving environment to flounder, grow and flourish
We are nearing almost a month of our kids really feeling some normalcy albeit through sports, more in person school days or more face to face interactions beyond their social covid cohorts and the shift of their energy has brought me to tears. They are starting to feel again what it used to feel like to be “just a teenager” and to me, that is a beautiful thing. Their happiness makes me happy, full of joy and proud. Mother Teresa said it best, ““Joy is strength- Joy is love – Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. She gives most who gives with Joy.” Yesterday my family confirmed for me that I am a great role model, more than I ever imagined I would be. I’ve been working hard on my personal growth and tackling my constant yo-yo weight issue, digging deep as to the why and releasing the weight once and for all. It certainly has not been easy to do, especially when the house is full of humans and dogs all the time but for me to expect them to not allow this pandemic get the best of them fully, I needed to dig deep within me.
We made it through this tough time with the skills we have honed these past years, one of resiliency, strength and hope. Mother’s Day was a day to celebrate just that and my role in our blended family, which is one of the hardest most rewarding jobs I have ever had and ever will. Their faces full of joy prove to me that all the hard work has been worth it, all of it.