Mother's Day

I always enjoyed planning a Mother's Day event for my mother. She, like every other living mother, loved whatever it was we came up with. The colorfully decorated paper plate with fake flowers stuck into it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. That cake I made with the too thin ugly pink frosting was the best she ever ate. And, oh, how she loved it when my sister and I took her out for a special meal. The Silver Falls Conference Center was the best place of all. Never mind that my sister and I thought we were in heaven just to be at that park.
My own kids really outdo themselves. This year we, meaning just Brian and Amy and myself, went to the Cornelius Pass Road House where we had the crunchiest, tastiest, freshest tater tots on the planet. We drank the mildest yet most flavorful beer in Oregon. And Brian picked up the tab for all of us because he was honoring not only me, but Amy's role as a mother as well.
I saw people purchasing roses and store bought cakes at the grocery store who were obviously just that moment on their way to their mothers' houses. They were signing cards on each other's backs. They were hauling out body fragrances done up in clear wrap festooned with gaudy ribbons. The deli was doing brisk business packing up meals to take to Mom and the sushi bar was crammed with folks buying little clam shells full of fishy things for all the moms waiting for something exotic. Birdhouses, blueberry beer, plants and flowers, all manner and shape of chocolate, Jergen's Lotion, bestselling paperbacks-all going to Mom's to join the school projects already there. And guess what? Every single one of those hastily purchased items was the best thing your mom ever saw, smelled, tasted, felt, heard or experienced. It will only be outdone by next year's gift.