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MOTHER'S DAY
Here we are at Mother's Day, which means that Father's Day must be coming in another month or so. And there I was in the card shop trying to find an appropriate card to send to my mother. It was dejavu. Cards with sappy sentimentality. Cards with inappropriately sarcastic humor. Cards with ugly graphics. Nothing that truly captured my attitude toward, and feelings for, my mother.
Yet there I was, with a half dozen other shoppers, pawing through the huge collection of cards and desperately trying to find one that would do. The same verse was inside several cards, but with different graphics. Some very attractive cards were only ninety-nine cents, but what adult would ever be so cheap when it came to Mother's Day? Then there were the huge cards that cost nearly $5 and required extra postage to mail, but they seemed a bit ostentatious.
Soon I found myself watching other shoppers to see which cards brought a giggle and which cards got taken to the check-out counter. Invariably those folks all had poor tastes or mothers completely different from mine. Eventually I had two choices remaining -- neither of which truly filled the bill. So, in time-honored tradition, I said, "Eny, Meany, Miney, Moe," and bought the card that "won."
After adding a goofy note and mailing it, I realized that I had once again fallen into the Hallmark holiday trap. I had felt compelled to send a Mother's Day card to my mother rather than expressing my sentiments in my own words. Not only that, but I had waited until the one day of the year "officially" appointed for such sentiments rather than expressing them whenever they occurred to me.
So, Mother, whatever else I said in that card I sent to you, I love you and know that you love me, too. I just forgot to tell you every time it occurred to me.
- Do you wait for designated occasions to express your feelings?
- Who are the important people in your life?
- When did you last tell them how important they are?
- What will you say to them today?
© 2006 David Bentley
David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world.
You may contact him at 360.378.8436
by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com
or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com