Happy Mother’s Day! An Homage To My Mom
For many of us women, this is our day. It’s the 1 day of the year where we are supposed to be told how much we are loved, cherished, and appreciated. This Mother’s Day, I want to send a HUGE thank you to all the Mom’s and Women who have guided me, cared for me, and loved me throughout the years. Sometimes, our kids may not show all their gratitude, so this Mother’s Day is a day full of thanks and gratefulness.

Growing up, I didn’t always appreciate my Mom, even though she was an angel (seriously…for those of you who know my Mom, you know she has a heart of gold, she wears rose-colored glasses, and she has never thought a bad thought about anyone. True signs of an angel). So I want to tell the story of how rotten I was at times and how I’ve learned to appreciate the woman who always bent over backwards for me every single day.

Many of you may know I grew up in Hawaii for 10 ½ years then moved to Walnut Creek, California, (right outside of San Francisco) for a little over a year at the end of 8^th grade & Freshman year of high school. Then, I moved to New Jersey for the rest of high school and beginning of community college. Well, I had just moved from Hawaii to California a couple of months before the end of 8^th grade. For our 8^th grade graduation trip, we were supposed to go to Disneyland & Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles. The day of the trip, I missed the alarm and I missed the 10 phone calls I got from my friends asking where I was. I finally woke up to the last answering machine message (this was before cell phones). I flipped out & yelled, “I missed the bus!” My Mom woke up, jumped out of her bed, threw her clothes on and said, “Sarah, grab your bag, we’re catching that bus.” We dashed to the meeting space, but the bus had already departed. I was missing my 3-day class trip to Disneyland! I was completely crushed.

My Mom looked at me and said, “Sarah, the bus is making 1 stop in Bakersfield. I’ll drive you there and you’ll get on that bus.” Now, Walnut Creek to Bakersfield is a 4 ½ hour drive! Each Way! My Mom, being the angel that she is, drove me to Bakersfield at 7:30 am to meet up with the bus. We got to Bakersfield and saw the bus parked at McDonalds. We made it! I got on that bus and had a blast during my 8^th grade class trip.

Now to go into detail why I’m ashamed today about my behavior is that my Mom drove 9 hours that day. She spent her entire day off driving me around the state of California. She spent her own money on gas. I SLEPT the entire car ride to Bakersfield! I didn’t talk to her much. I was way too cool and a brat for that. And I didn’t thank her that day for what she did for me. I don’t know any other Mom who would have done what my Mom did especially after being treated the way I treated her that day by sleeping and being aloof to her conversation.

Since my teen years, I have changed. My Mom and I have a really strong, close relationship. And I have said thanks to all the many wonderful things she has done and continues to do for me.

Today, I send ALL my love for ALL the moments my Mom has given me.  This weekend, we are hanging out together and I’m so excited. My Dad and Mom are staying at my house. I’m cooking them her favorite breakfast per her request: Spinach & Red Pepper Frittata with Waffles and Fruit. During the day, we’re going kayaking. I’m truly thrilled to spend time being active and eating delicious food with my Mom.

For those of you out there who have kids that are not always loving or appreciative now….Remember, they will come around one day. Have faith!

I hope you all have a fantastic Mother’s Day. Try to enjoy the day, relax, have fun, eat scrumptious food together, and do some type of activity. But most of all, spend your moments together and show your appreciation for one another. Happy Mother’s Day!!!

What’s your plan for your day?

By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN