May 14 - Happy Mother's Day

What started as a good idea has been commercialized, as have other holidays: (See Easter blog about Jesus resurrection and Chocolate Bunnies). You can learn more about the altruistic start of Mother’s Day from this site.

My mother was not June Cleaver or Carol Brady. But she wasn’t Joan Crawford either. She was a single parent raising four children and doing the best she could on a below poverty level income. At one time she had four teenagers under her roof. Her hard life probably attributed to her untimely death at the age of 60.

She gave me some good advice. “Always wear clean underwear.” It turned out not only important in case you are in an accident, but overall, I think it promotes positive personal hygiene.

After completing Grad School, I decided to take a job in California. My mom gave me this advice.

“Son, there will be women that you will meet and fall in love with. You will spend large sums of money on them, wining and dining them, giving them expensive gifts and taking them on lavish trips. These women will only leave you and break your heart.

You will also meet other women not willing to make that level of commitment.”

She was wrong as I met a wonderful woman and moved back to Ohio nine years later.

The picture is of my mom visiting me in San Francisco in 1991.

So on this Mother’s Day, I salute my dear mother. I miss you daily.

I also want to recognize my wife, the wonderful mother of our three children. When I don’t give you a gift on Mother’s Day, its not because I don’t love and worship you. I just don’t want to lessen this day by contributing to its commercialization.