ITS THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS?

What does Mothers Day mean to Me?
GAG!!
And now that I've made that perfectly clear and have let you know how I really feel....
I'll try and elaborate a little.

First off, let me make it crystal clear that MY mother doesn't cause me to gag. Neither does my mother-in-law*. On the contrary. It is they that keep me grounded and it is they who are my beacon. How grateful I am that my mother took the challenge of mothering such a rebellious girl as I. I am positive that there were many, many times that I caused her enough pain and grief to inflict the gag reflex. I'll be forever repenting of this sad fact.
I will also be forever grateful to Ethel in supporting me in my attempts to become a worthy wife and mother of her progenitors. She has been ever patient as well.

Its THIS day that makes me crazy!!
Its this day that causes me to retch!!
Its the one and only day that I truly desire NOT to attend church at all!!
Or...better yet-how about I not even get out of bed at all on this day?! (Not because I DESERVE to stay in bed and do nothing!! )
This is the honorary day on the calender that throws me into the depths of despair.
This is the day that Hallmark and FTD and Sees Candy use to exploit us.
This is the blessed day that most of the mothers I know, feel as though they've been kicked in the gut or beat with a brick or been slapped senseless with our own short-comings.This is the official day that our faults can be made glaringly apparent!!
Its a day where its legal to point out that its painfully obvious that our expectations for the innate mothering skills have never, will never, meet with reality.
Its a day of blatant reminders of what should have been.
I will admit to not knowing fully how others of different faiths 'celebrate' this occasion. I just know what seems to be common practice with we Mormons.

In years past it has felt like salt is being hurled from the pulpits of our churches,into the open wounds of most of the unsuspecting mothers attending. Husbands, children, primary songs, bishops and even - the albeit few- really perfect mothers, all share accolades of what a perfect mothers looks like! GAG!! (Thus-in my humble opinion, the huge abuse of food and Prozac and shopping- a la' mormon moms)
SO....
Let this day be over-- and QUICK!!

Tomorrow I'll return to trying to do my best to not permanently damage the psyche of my kids.
I'll try to continue to learn from my mistakes-which are MANY.
It'll be back to the trenches, where I'm happiest.
Its a nice try though-this Mothers Day thing.
I'm not ungrateful.
I have a husband/father of our kids, who loves me and appreciates me-most every day.
I truly don't need one day of aggrandizement, singled out from all the rest, to have me feel appreciated. For this gift, I am blessed.
I've got it good!!

*now that I'm a mother-in-law myself,let me just say that I really don't like this grouping of words. Its a cocophic sounding word, and its displeasing to the ear and senses. Very unlike my mother-in-law!