Mother's Day

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Make Someone SmileSo, today I reflect on Mother’s Day, an annual day of recognition and celebration.

First, I’ve got to note that I am a mom of three wonderful children, now all young adults.  I fully recognize that being a mom is probably one of the most important responsibilities and functions in our society.  I certainly can’t say life wasn’t hard or challenging when they were younger, especially during a time when my husband and I worked opposite shifts in order to care for them when they were younger. Certainly there were days I could not even imagine how I could accomplish everything that needed to be done, but somehow we made it through.

Being a mom has been a most rewarding experience, and I am so proud how all three of my babies have grown up to be the most amazing, caring, responsible and civic-minded individuals.  I could not have hoped for anything better and am absolutely so grateful.

Something does trouble me as I reflect on Mother’s Day.  I did read about the origination of Mother’s Day by a woman named Anna Jarvis.  She began her work to make Mother’s Day an official National holiday in 1905 after her mother died, and it took until 1914 when Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation to make the 2nd Sunday in May the national holiday.  You are welcome to read more about her, but it had been noted that she was very upset about the day being exploited by organizations to make profit, and even brought lawsuits to try to end the commercialization.

So, here’s the part that might make people angry at me.  I don’t believe anyone has to buy me a gift because I’m a mom.  I believe that people should appreciate each other every day.  I believe we should recognize and thank our loved ones, friends and family every day, not just once a year.  Every day should be a people appreciation day.  What a better world this would be if we thanked everyone we came into contact with, appreciated their service, time, assistance, or love.  Celebrating once a year is just not enough.

That brought me to thinking about other holidays like Veteran’s Day.  Personally, I thank our veterans every day.  If I see a veteran, I always thank them for their service.  I know my life would be quite different right now if these brave men and women did not sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms.

So, happy people day.  I appreciate all of you who contribute to our society and to the lives of others. I salute our soldiers and veterans, our teachers, our police officers, our healthcare workers, our civil service workers, and the rest who make contributions to our daily lives and making our lives the best possible.

As a mom, I am proud of you.  As a person who has a mom, I am thankful that she gave me the opportunity to be here to make a difference, the best way I can, in the lives of anyone I can.

Today I celebrate you and hope to make you smile.

Pass it on.

Love,

Doreen

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Doreen Guma, MA, FACHE, CPC, CLC is the founder of the Time to Play Foundation, a 501c3 not for profit corporation inspiring everyone to enjoy life.  Please see www.timetoplay.com for more information.

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