What About Sunday?

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Well, if we have learned anything over the past while, I think it might just be to truly celebrate each moment that we are given because you just never know.  And, I am most certainly positive that we will never again take for granted those moments wherein we get to spend face-to-face time with our loved ones. No longer will we need a special occasion to get together.  Our being here, being together, is reason enough to celebrate.

That being said, this coming weekend is Mother’s Day.  As each of us contemplate just how it is that we intend on making our moms feel special, we still have to consider COVID-19 protocols and implications.  The day will certainly look different that’s for sure, particularly for those of us who usually pay a visit in person; those folks living apart from their moms, as in the case of my husband, are used to finding other ways to make the day a special one.  Perhaps the rest of us will have to take lessons from them.

In past years, my family has usually taken my mom out for a Mother’s Day brunch, followed by a house visit and a few small gifts. The first two things are out for sure!  Who would have imagined being in the position that we are in a year later, where something as simple as being able to sit together enjoying food and beverages would be a dream come true, not just a usual, everyday activity?  Sometimes, I have to admit that this whole pandemic thing still seems surreal and yet, we have a long ways to go before any sense of normalcy, whatever that will be, resumes.  Talk about a wake-up call!

The good news is that last week, I was able to surprise my mom early by dropping off a flower basket for her front porch and some roses since I was already out at the store; again trying to be mindful of coronavirus restrictions.  But, on Sunday, it will seem odd to not be able to do more than sit from afar outside and visit that way.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to even be able to do that, weather permitting of course and fingers crossed, but I feel somewhat robbed of what could and should be, especially as my parents continue to age.  These are precious times that we will never be able to get back–times when we should be spending more time than ever together, but we can’t.  It just doesn’t seem right.  Once again however, I am not naïve to the fact that there will be many families, this year in particular, who will not even have the chance to make so much as a phone call to their moms, as they have since passed on.  The whole thing is just so sad!  Of course, there are those people who have been without their moms for quite some time, decades even, and days like Mother’s Day never get easier.  Loss and grief are always felt which only shows us the real power and meaning of true love.

I guess one of the positives to come out of these trying times is that people are using their creativity and finding unique ways to celebrate occasions and each other.  Drive-by parades, video chats, and surprise deliveries have all become mainstays it seems, and while none of them replace the real face time that we are all so desperately craving, they are opportunities to express our love and gratitude which under ‘normal’ circumstances might not otherwise have happened.  I know that I am tremendously guilty of not always saying what I should, how I should, in person.  Perhaps it is time!