It’s been an amazing weekend, with a wedding yesterday, and most of my family able to be present for that joyous event. Today, it was a special treat to have my sister Debbie and her family still in town to celebrate Mother’s Day together.
The day began with breakfast at my mother’s house, lovingly prepared by my niece’s husband, Jon. This kind and cheerful young man is talented in many ways, and cooking happens to be one of his fortés. The moms assembled…Linda, Debbie, Ashley, my mother and me…enjoyed being pampered. Jon prepared blueberry pancakes, sausage, fresh strawberries and individual omelets. He gave each of us a small bowl and we selected the ingredients for our omelets, placing them in the bowls and then lining them up as Jon cracked eggs. The food was delicious and I appreciate Jon so much.
Later in the day, my daughter Elissa and grandson Dayan met our group at Golden Corral as we treated Mom to a Mother’s Day buffet. And yes, the lines were long and the restaurant crowded. That didn’t deter us or bother us in the least. The staff moved us through quickly and seated all eleven of us together. We enjoyed all the food choices available and Ethan and Kaleb especially enjoyed the dessert buffet, wearing a great deal of chocolate from the fountain on their faces! More great conversation flowed around the table, easily, humorously. Being together was the most important part of the meal.
We all gathered back at Mom’s briefly, mindful of storm clouds massing to the west. I sat with great-nephew Kaleb on my lap, while watching my other great-nephew, Ethan, create a game on his iPad. Although he is only nine, Ethan is skilled at not only playing games but creating his own. I watched, fascinated, while in a matter of minutes he created a Frogger type game, chatting to me about each step. Ethan learned to email over the weekend, and he sent me a picture of a vehicle in one of his games, with a logo on it that he knew I would like…Albert Einstein. He successfully emailed me a screenshot from the game, which I am delighted to include in my blog. I promised Ethan I would email him a link, so he can see his work here. It’s all good practice for this intelligent boy, who dabbles in technology as easily as the rest of us breathe.
My great-nephew Ethan has a funny car logo on a game called Turbo Dismount
It was a grand day, spent in the company of precious family, with six mothers present. My sisters and mother and I form our own Yaya Sisterhood, except we are Yaya, Gigi, Meem and Mimi, who is the only one of us who can boast of great-grandchildren. My mother is the matriarch of this clan, and she has raised my sisters and me to be strong, independent, capable, loving and fiercely protective adults who have passed these qualities on to our own daughters and sons, granddaughters and grandsons. She presides over us all with strength and love and a good dollop of humor. I deeply appreciate her, knowing the sacrifices she has made to raise us well, provide for us, champion us in all our endeavors. I couldn’t ask for a better mother and I am blessed to have her influence and presence in my life still.
As we hugged good-bye this afternoon, departing for our homes, little Kaleb gave me a bright yellow dandelion and a fuzzy one, the seeds forming a white globe. I stood in my yard, and held the fuzzy dandelion up, ready to make a wish before blowing the seeds away. Instead of wishes, I thought of my blessings: my extended family, whose love surrounds me like an invisible yet powerful force field that nothing can penetrate, my three beautiful children and their significant others, who have gifted me with their love and devotion…I am appreciative of their texts and visits today, and a surprise gift card from Adriel and her Nate to Lowes (garden center, here I come!), and my five gorgeous, talented and loving grandchildren who continue to show me the world afresh through their young yet wise eyes. The seeds scattered as I blew on the dandelion, and my thoughts scattered as well, carrying gratitude, love and blessings to their intended recipients. May they all know how much I love them.
