Happy Mother's Day
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. In my family, we tend to turn birthdays and holidays into extended celebrations. Mother’s Day is no exception.
My wife Tracy’s family has a Mother’s Day tradition that has lasted for decades. Since we’ve been married, it’s become my tradition, too.
Tracy is one of six girls, and beyond her immediate family, she has dozens of first cousins as well as some cousins I’m not sure are actually relatives. For the last 35 years or so, the entire extended family — aunts, uncles, cousins and now the cousin’s children – have gathered every Mother’s Day weekend at the Glen Falls House in Round Top, NY. Round Top is in the upstate New York Catskills region, and as for the Glen Falls House, picture the Dirty Dancing hotel, minus some of the glamour. So three generations, 50-70 of us in total depending on the year, spend Mother’s Day weekend together upstate.
With all of the demands on everyone’s time and the competing pressures of daily life, setting aside a whole weekend to reconnect with your family is an opportunity not to be missed. It is a truly special occasion and an experience I would recommend highly. And now that our children are part of the festivities, getting to spend their Mother’s Day weekend with their cousins and a whole posse of relatives, I hope they will continue the tradition themselves with the next generation.
Mother’s Day is one of those feel good, Hallmark-inspired holidays. Its roots are not historic or religious in origin, but it is a day that has meaning for everyone. It is the one day we can all reverse roles and treat our mothers the way they treat us all year long. We get to pamper them for a change. So whether it’s breakfast in bed, a bouquet of roses, a nice dinner out or a weekend at the Glens Falls House, Mother’s Day is all about our Moms. I’m fortunate to still be able to celebrate with my mother, who turned 80 this year, as is Tracy, whose mother will be with us for the weekend.
So this week’s posting is a tribute to all of the mothers out there that spend 364 days per year taking care of us. This is our weekend to say thank you for all you do, day in and day out.
Happy Mother’s Day to you all.
