What Mother's Day Actually Means to Me
Mother's Day hits different when you've had a front-row seat to so many incredible women doing it in their own way. This year, it had me in my feels a little more than usual, and I'm here for it.
We Made Stained Glass and It Was Everything
A couple of weeks ago, my mom, my sister, and I spent the afternoon together at Seaside Stained Glass, just the three of us, for a private class with the incredibly talented Stella. And when I say patient, I mean soooo patient, especially with me. New tools, cutting actual glass, I was a little scared at first if I'm being honest, but Stella made me feel at ease right away. My sister and I both chose to make feathers, which, funny enough, we kind of landed on the same tones without even talking about it beforehand. Very us. Mom went her own way and made a sand dollar, and it was gorgeous. We walked away with something we actually made with our own hands, and that instant gratification is real. If you are looking for something a little different to do with the women in your life, I cannot recommend this enough. It was one of those afternoons that had everything: connection, a new skill, and a whole lot of laughs. It also got me thinking about what Mother's Day is really about, and spoiler alert, it's not the gift.
The Gift That Actually Lands
I spent years in my adult life trying to find the perfect gift for my mom. Something thoughtful, something she'd love, something that would really hit. And you know what? It just never quite landed the way I hoped. Looking back, I think what she really wanted the whole time was our time together, and I totally get it now.
Every year my kids ask me what I want for Mother's Day. My answer is always the same: just spend time with me. And I mean that in the most specific way possible. I want to show up and be present with them without having to cook, clean, plan, or mentally manage a single thing. Just show up and enjoy it. That's the whole wish. Mic drop.
Gail: The OG Trad Mom With an Edge
My mom taught me resilience. She taught me not to sweat the small stuff, to look after myself because no one else is going to do it for you, and to be kind. She cooked everything from scratch and she was honestly one of the best cooks and bakers I've ever known.
One of the things I treasure most is a cookbook she gave me where she hand wrote a collection of family favorite recipes, preserves, desserts, salsas, and more. Some of those recipes might make their way to you in some form in the future, just saying. She also knit, she was an incredible rug hooker, had a natural eye for color, and was just deeply, beautifully creative. And honestly? When we are all together, you can just feel it. She will look around the room, completely content, and say "isn't this nice?" Every. Single. Time. And she means it with her whole heart. That IS her happy place, and lucky for us, we are it.
My Grandmother: Zero Tolerance, Maximum Love
My grandmother was a take-no-crap kind of woman and I mean that with the highest respect. She cooked everything from scratch and was way ahead of her time when it came to being conscious about what we were putting into our bodies. Everything homemade, always. Which makes what I'm about to tell you so wonderfully, perfectly ironic.
The cod liver oil era. My brother and I spent a summer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia when I was around six or seven, and she was on a mission to get that stuff into us. I refused to swallow the capsule, so she got creative. Her big idea? Hide it in Kraft Dinner. Yes, Kraft Dinner. The woman who made everything from scratch reached for the bright orange box as her secret weapon, and I think that alone tells you how determined she was. It did not work. The cod liver oil did not blend into the dish, and I will leave it at that. To this day, I cannot eat Kraft Dinner without thinking about that moment. She meant well, she really did, and she was not wrong about the cod liver oil. She was just very wrong about the delivery method.
Grace: The Definition of Generous
Grace would give the shirt off her back without a second thought. She became like a second mother to me during my teenage years, and honestly, maybe I just needed two amazing women in my corner at that stage of life. No shame in that! She welcomed people into her family like it was the most natural thing in the world, because for her, it was. Her pounded pork with rice? Absolutely iconic. And she is now 90 years old with the exact same spirit she had 40 years ago. That says everything.
Diane: Carrying the Load With Love
Mom of four kids, married to a man who hustled his whole life, and she held it all together. Raising a crew like that is no small thing, and she did it with love and a fierce appreciation for what family actually means. She gets it at the core level.
The Best Gift I Ever Received
With all this reflection on motherhood, I keep coming back to the same thing: the best gift I have ever received is the gift of becoming a mom myself. To Breagh and Porter, and to being a bonus mom to Kyle too. These three amazing humans light up my life in ways I genuinely cannot put into words. And when they are all home with their partners? My heart is absolutely full. There is no better gift than that, none. Everything else is just noise.
The Through Line
Looking at all these women, the thread that runs through all of them is the same: they showed up. In their own way, with their own flavor, but they showed up. And that's really what Mother's Day is about for me. Not the flowers or the brunch reservation, just the showing up.
Happy Mother's Day to every woman doing it in her own way.
Lots of love,
Marsha
