In Celebration of Mothers

CEBU, Philippines - She wakes up at the crack of dawn, prepare lunch boxes for her grade-schoolers while silently praying that the food will still be okay by noontime, then hurry to get up the little ones, fix the rumpled beds, usher the whole family to the breakfast table. Only after the kids have been sent off to school does she find time to attend to herself.

But not quite yet. Her husband waits for her to give him his tie, or socks or hanky. Finally, she has time to find her own office uniform appropriate for the particular day. And the day has just begun for mom.

Come nighttime she takes care of the family dinner, checks the kids' school assignments then tucks them in bed, sorts out bills due, attends to her husband. Finally it's time to remove her makeup.  But her day is not yet over. Even if she's already in bed, her mind continues to ramble with a thousand and one concerns, mostly about the family.

With the school out and Mother's Day is just a blink away, perhaps supermom deserves an extra hour of rest or sleep, a little pampering, and more hugs and kisses. But just how to make Mother feel extra special on this day?

Here are a few simple, inexpensive yet unique ways:

Home-cooking is it.

Let mom hang up her apron, avoid the traffic jams and hard-to-get restaurant reservations and, instead, prepare for her a special home-cooked lunch or dinner, or make an early start serving her breakfast in bed! Or, her favorite food served at a specially set dinner table with flowers is sure to make her smile. All the more if the kids take turns in reciting a poem or reading out their own Mother's Day messages for her, while she enjoys the special meal.

Pot it in.

Green thumb or not, most moms love a touch of greenery in the house. Plants on pots placed by the window are a refreshing sight; a constant reminder, too, that plants bloom when tended to properly, like love flourishes at home when the family relationship is nurtured.

Frame it!

A framed photo collage of the kids when they were yet babies or toddlers can take mommy back happily down memory lane.

Scent it.

Waking up to a relaxing aroma from specially scented candles placed in the bedroom or bathroom is a refreshing prelude to a day. And the whole day itself may turn out to be relaxing and stress-free for her.

Surprise, Surprise!

Little gifts hidden around the house is definitely a fun idea. Hints of the gifts' locations are written on stick-it notes at the coffee maker, at the bathroom mirror or at the kitchen sink. But Daddy and the kids have to make sure the notes don't get wet or burned or blown away, so as not to spoil the surprise.

Say it with flowers.

Fresh or plastic, or even if picked from the neighbor's garden, flowers are always a welcome symbol of affection. It fits any occasion and with anyone, including of course Mother's Day and the entire family.

I would have done all these things - even more! - for my mom. But fate didn't allow it; I didn't have the chance. My mom succumbed to cancer when I was only 14.  There was not enough time to really show her how grateful I was to have her for a mother.

In growing up, I envied friends, classmates and relatives whose mothers were still alive. I used to hate Mother's Day, and cried before the clock struck 12 midnight on Christmas Day, because the last Christmas party my mother spent with us was unusually too happy. She danced and laughed the night away, she was so full of life. She died the following year.

I went through life dealing with "what if's" and "could have's" if only mom was just around. I strived to finish school and got my college degree.  She would've been proud of my accomplishment.

All the distress I had gone through in life would not have been as bad - if only Mama was there. I thank God for her spiritual presence in all my sleepless nights of flu and chicken pox and swollen tonsillitis, during the cyst operation on my left breast, and in those tense moments at removal exams at school, and in boyfriend issues. In all those I always thought that "It would make Mama happy and proud if I conducted myself properly."

Even now, I sincerely hope that Mama is proud of what I've become, as a professional and as a mother myself.

Young people often burst out in irritation or anger about their moms, anything from certain actions to restraints imposed on them by their mothers. I cringe every time I hear them complain.  It's sad that they will never fully appreciate the good intentions of a mother until she is gone from their life.

Mothers are, indeed, worth celebrating. Happy Mother's Day to all moms - yours and mine! (FREEMAN)