Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I had a delicious day. Adam brought me breakfast from Whataburger, we went to lunch at Mexican Inn and met his parents at Outback for dinner. There was church and a nap in between.

I don't know if it's Hallmark's fault or memories of my mother lounging on Mother's Day, but somewhere I got the idea that Mother's Day meant that I didn't have to lift a finger. In my mind, Mother's Day is like actually practicing the Sabbath. Oh no! I can't load that dishwasher! It's Mother's Day!

I had to force myself not to do small acts of work, and then at the end of the day, I wondered, what's the point? Making myself not hang those clothes was both difficult yesterday and more work I have to do today.

Where I got my sense of entitlement from, I don't know. While it's great to relax on Mother's Day, I should also use some common sense. There are other mothers in the world that don't get three meals served to them in one day, that actually have to go to work on that day, or women in other parts of the world who would laugh at a day for a mom to sit on her fanny.

At dinner last night, I sat next to my sister-in-law Amanda. I asked her what she received as a Mother's Day present. I was all ready to hear the sentimental actions and gifts she had received from our niece. Nope. She got nothing.

"Why?" I asked, mortified. I, by the way, got three meals, flowers, and an Ipod touch.

"I just don't need any more stuff," she said.

"Not even flowers?"

"No, the cats eat the flowers and they die in a couple of days anyway, so I told everyone to save their money."

That was quite humbling. Not only did she not receive any material gifts for Mother's Day, it was because she didn't want them. It was a small reality check for someone who got spoiled but didn't need it, either.

"Well, did you at least get to relax today?" I asked her, expecting that she, too, laid around and didn't lift a finger.

And those of you anticipating my reality check again, are right. Yes, my sister-in-law took her mother to the ER in the middle of the night. And she did a week's worth of laundry and cleaned the house. She also took her daughter to acting lessons on the other side of town. She had more she was going to do that night.

On the way home from dinner, I announced that Mother's Day was officially over, and got to work.

Yin/Yang

I believe in the yin and yang. Or is it ying/yang? Or you could call it karma, or you could call it divine intervention, or you could call it God putting me in my place now and then.

Claire spilled milk the other day and I lost it. I am so tired to cleaning up messes! Do not eat off my floor, because no matter how often I mop it, it's dirty. Of course I clean up after every spill, but there are so many! Cheerios, smooshed strawberries, spilled milk, urine, dog food and water....It's all over my floor. The other day I hadn't finished my essential cup of coffee before Claire spilled my giant glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast. She just stood there looking at it. I was furious. I know spills are a part of life, but get a towel and start cleaning it up! Come on! I threw her a towel and yelled, making her mop up her mess. Of course I felt terrible immediately afterward, but that wasn't all.

At lunch that day, yours truly spilled her own giant glass of water. I was definitely put in my place.

I took Claire and Paul to the zoo this week, and Claire asked for the leash. I obliged. Then I realized, "Hey stupid, maybe it's not all about you! Maybe it's a security thing for her, too! Maybe she doesn't want to get lost!" I immediately sucked it up and lost my embarrassment. I was doing all that whining about the stupid leash but forgot to look past my own pathetic nose.

Sunday I taught a class at church. We were discussing the book UnChristian and our own conceptions of other Christians. Many in the group had bad experiences at different churches and were complaining about them (me included.) Then one guy said, "Look here on the survey. One of the top perceptions of Christianity is that we are judgmental. We just proved that." Oops.

And lastly, last night we were out of milk, so I stopped in Albertson's after Girls' Night Out. I grabbed milk and a bottle of wine. I called Adam and offered to buy him a particular beer. He declined. The beer cost $8.99/6-pack, so I was kind of glad he said no. I would have bought it if he wanted it, but didn't really want to buy beer that high. Now my cheap wine was also $8.99, but of course that was different....Blah blah.

At the register, the people in front of me were upset. Their foodstamps card had just been declined. They were buying bread, bagels, cream cheese and a couple of other items. Their bill was $8.90 and they couldn't afford it. Of course I offered and bought their groceries for them. So there I was, whining in my head about the price of beer, not thinking twice about buying wine for the same price, and there was a family that couldn't afford actual food for the same price. The cashier told me after they left that the lady was pregnant and they were on the way to the hospital to visit her mother, who was in the last stages of cancer and dying.

I am not a humble person, but I am often humbled by experiences like this.