Celebrating Mother's Day from Afar

The sign for the Mother's Day Brunch caught my eye. It wasn't that it was a particularly nice restaurant, or even that I wanted to brave the crowds at a brunch on what would likely be the busiest day second perhaps only to Valentine's Day.

It was more than that.

It was the fact that in our nearly seventeen years of marriage, all but two Mother's Day have been spent far away from our mothers. For the bulk of our adult lives, we've not known the pleasure of spending Mother's Day celebrating face to face with the women who helped mold us into who we are today. And our children have only ever known long-distance when it comes to their relationships with their grandparents.

Over the years, we've come to realize there are some unique ways with which to celebrate Mother's Day from afar. Whether it be making note to buy the cards early when Mother's Day landed in March when we lived overseas, or remembering how long it takes a greeting card to travel from Texas to Arizona, celebrating Mother's Day across the miles can open the door for more opportunities than you might imagine.

1. Think outside the box. The gift box, that is. There have been times when we've ordered something from a website and had it shipped directly to our moms, but one of our favorite ways has been to make some kind of keepsake ourselves. My favorite was the time we traced all five of our hands on beautiful scrapbooking paper and glued them one on top of the other and framed it. Sometimes thinking creatively and having a neighbor deliver flowers or a singing telegram not only saves some money in the long run, it creates memories that you all will cherish for years to come.

2. Use your voice. Call on the phone, or better yet, use a video chat service like Skpe or Google Hangout to talk "face to face" and let the kiddos tell their Granny exactly what they love best about her. Chances are your kids carry the same gene that mine do. You know, the one that causes them to go completely ape the moment a phone or video camera is involved. However, chances also are that your mom will just enjoy watching their wacky antics so it's really a win all around.

3. Mom it forward. Find those in your community and friend group who are also without their moms. Whether their moms are also far away, or have passed on or simply walked away, find someone for whom Mother's Day might be painful or extra lonely, and invite them in. Even if it's just a note to say you're thinking of them on this special day, what better way to honor your own mother than to nurture another soul in need of tender care?

So, friend, are you far from home and mom this Mother's Day? How do you mark the occasion and be sure to keep the relationship close? If Mother's Day is painful for you, who can you begin praying for now for a chance to be a nurturing and tender hand to in the coming days?

Blessings, dear ones,

Jen