Just in Time for Mother's Day

It is the eve of Mother's Day and I have decided to start it off by reminding myself of something nice for a change! No moments of sadness about our financial situation, no thoughts about our government or the economy, no reflections of how we got to this point....I decided, for Mother's Day, I am giving myself a 24 hour pass from my usual and depressing train of thought.

My mother in law is totally to blame for this! She gave me an early Mother's Day present the other day, and, I think it started to actually trigger some happy thoughts in this jumbled mess of a head of mine!

She gave me a gardenia plant. To some, it might seem like a nice but unusual choice. However, for people who know me best or have read this blog, well, then, you know there is a much more meaningful sentiment behind this gift.

She first became aware of my gardenia fondness when she read my entry about my "happy places." The gardenia represents a much more simpler and happier time in my life when I was a child and the wonderful scent from our gardenia bush used to permeate in the yard at my child hood home. I loved the smell so much and that love for gardenias has always stayed with me.

I knew the moment I saw her gift, she was giving me something that she knew would give me a constant source of much needed happiness. The thought and meaning behind it was as much appreciated as the happiness that it instantly made me feel when I saw it. She, unexpectedly, reached out to me when I needed it simply because she cares and I hope she knows how much it meant to me.

So, tomorrow, I am going to water my gardenias, drink my coffee, read the Sunday paper and spend the rest of my time celebrating motherhood with my boys...Some simple pleasures that make me happy.

Thank you, Bertha, for snapping me back into reality just in time for Mother's Day :)