Okay, we only get a day, but May has always reminded me of Mother’s Day the whole month long, even before I was a mom myself.
We’ve all seen that greeting card before… the one especially meant for your sibling that says, Don’t worry, you’re not getting older, just more like Mom (or Dad). As the youngest of five kids – and by a whopping nine years at that! – I was always the giver and never the recipient of that card. But now at 43 this month, I am starting to see the truth behind the joke. I see little ways my mom is turning into my grandma, with a tissue stuffed into every one of her pockets, and her constant attempts to feed everyone. And there’s the way she is starting to hunch over a bit and sort of shuffle along when she walks, just like Granny. As for the next generation, I’m starting to like the clothes my mom hands down to me more than the ones I buy for myself. After all, the jeans I’m wearing from her closet have elastic somehow baked right into them, and they sit up on my waist, which as it turns out, is way more comfortable than those hip-huggers I’ve been buying. I’ve even taken a liking to her special body lotion, a vintage Bonnie Bell product that she now has to special-order because she can’t find it in stores anymore. Affectionately called The Mayonnaise by my husband, the scent reminds me of Mom and leaves my skin feeling softer than those scented Bath & Body Works types I’d been using. Not too many years ago, the thought of being just like Mom might not have sounded like a great plan, but the older and wiser I get, the more I realize that there is no one I’d rather be like. And just like my mom, I also write myself notes as reminders to do almost everything. My countertops are covered in Post-its, just like Mom’s…
What are all my reminders about, you ask? Well, for all of the great opportunities to get out and enjoy the May weather, RFM style, of course! For starters, be sure to buy your tickets to the It Comes in Pink PinkNic, a fundraiser for a sweet little girl battling a rare disease. See page 52 for more information on this mid-May event. Then we have a packed weekend starting May 19, including a chance to let your kids showcase their talents in the PowerKids Triathlon at Shady Grove YMCA. RFM has your discount code on page 54. Even novice bikers and swimmers can participate in this high-energy morning! Then later that day, head over to Willow Lawn for Imagination Richmond, featuring some of my favorite fellas, The Diggity Dudes! Also that weekend, the Rassawek Spring Jubilee Wine & Heritage Festival, a fabulous familyfriendly event, is just up the road on Route 6 in Goochland County. Take a ride on the steam train through the vineyard, listen to live music, check out the antique cars, explore a treehouse unlike any other, and learn about heritage traditions through a variety of cultural and agrarian demonstrations. Head to RFMonline.com for more on all these events – and lots of other things to do this month.
Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing Mom and to all of the great moms out there! Let’s try to allow those around us pamper us on our special day. After all, we deserve it!
