Mum

I used to hate Mother’s Day when my kids were young.  As a divorced mother I always felt disappointed.  Other mums would be spoilt with gifts and love, while my children were not always with me, and their father certainly didn’t shower me with gifts.  Selfishly I would feel depressed and unloved.  Of course, this was me being dramatic.  My kids love me and don’t need to shower me with gifts to let me know.  Now that they are older they do show their appreciation and I am proud to be their mum.  That is something worth celebrating.

I recognise that Mother’s Day is difficult for lots of families for many reasons.  My selfish reasons for not enjoying the day are minor compared to others who may have lost their mum or lost a child.  I can’t imagine how tough it must be for you some of you out there.  For some of my family who have recently lost their Mum or Nan, I am thinking of you today.

I am sure we can all think of a mum who does an amazing job and is worth celebrating.  So today, I am going to talk about my mum Robyn.

Mum was born on Mother’s Day in 1944.  That means this week she is turning 75.  She is a strong women who holds our family together like the threads of a well knit jumper.  She is caring and compassionate looking after her mum (my Nan) who is 97 years old, as well and my Dad who is often sick and can be rather demanding.

Mum has been through the ups and downs of our lives and is always there to celebrate with us or shed a tear when things aren’t great.  She is fiercely proud of her daughters and grandchildren.  She does her best to get to every sporting gaming or award ceremony that her family are involved with.  She is always the first person we call when we are in need of help and will drop everything to provide the assistance we need.  Mum loves a chat and a glass of wine and we often combine the two to solve the problems of the world.

Mum has always volunteered and the example she has set passed on to both my sister and I.  Whether she was involved at school or with our sport, mum certainly knows how to keep busy.  Even now in her retirement she is Treasurer at two not for profit organisations.  Clearly my interest in numbers came from my mum but she taught us that organisations don’t run without the help of volunteers and if you have the skills to help, you should.  I can’t imagine the number of volunteer hours Mum has put in over the years.  You are a legend Mum.

These past few months have been particularly tough on Mum.  While mum was recovering from a knee replacement in March, my aunt passed away from her battle with cancer, and my father had back surgery.  He surgery did not go according to plan, and he has been very sick.  He has been in and out of hospital over that past 7 weeks but he is finally home.  At the same time my Nan is not travelling too good and this has been hard on Mum.  Mum has had a lot of pressure to deal with and we know it has been difficult.  Hopefully things will start to settle down soon. 

Mum, we love you.  We appreciate everything you do for us.  Whether it is looking after our kids, taking us in when times have been bad, supporting us and being our best cheerleader.  We would not be the people we are today with your love and compassion.  Have an excellent Mother’s Day Mum, and enjoy your special birthday this week.  You make us proud xxx