Happy Mom’s Day to all of the amazing mothers out there – especially those in the writing, reviewing, reading, blogging world.

An extra “hug” to all of the moms of kids with what the world calls “special needs” – we who love those kids know that they are simply ours and we love them in any shape or form that God gave them to us in.

Today, my adult “kid” will take me and my best friend and her son out for our traditional Mother’s Day event.  We head into the beautiful mountains of Western Pennsylvania to a ski resort called Seven Springs where there is no longer snow, but there is the most amazing Mother’s Day brunch.  We will shop in a fantastic bakery and pick up  some Buckeyes (sinfully delicious peanut butter globs dipped in chocolate) and some pepperoni bread.  Then head to the local butcher where we’ll pick up some of the best cuts of meat around and store them in the freezer to enjoy the rest of the year.  There are tons of local artists’ shops where I’m certain we will find another hand made wooden piece of furniture (a tradition) and whatever other treasures catch our eyes.  It will be a day spent with my family and those two other people who have become the family of my heart if not blood.  It will be a fantastic day, we’ll return home stuffed and broke – but happy and blessed to have spent one more special Mom’s Day together.  It’s the memories that matter the most.

But before we head out for that precious day, I’d like to share some “mom” thoughts with you, my online family.

I’ve been a daughter and I’ve been a mom, so I guess I’ve seen the world from both sides now.

The most difficult job I’ve ever had was being a mom.  The absolutely most rewarding job I ever accepted has been being a mom.  Again, both sides of the coin.

Not every mom is a perfect mom – but I believe we (for the most part) try our best to be the kind of mom our kids need most.  I have said “I hate you” to my mom.  I have heard “I hate you Mom” from my son – and now I understand the heartbreak I handed to my own mom when, in teenage anger I delivered that strike to her heart.  And even though as an adult I know she knew that I didn’t really mean it – words cannot be unsaid.  So be careful with words, they really can wound sometimes.

I think the most precious words I ever heard were from my son when one day out of the blue he said “I love you, Mom.  Thanks for not giving up on me.”  As if I ever could or had.  But hearing the emotion was priceless.

It’s not a smooth sailing kind of life, there are plenty of stumbling blocks along the way.  But it is so worth every single moment.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you.  The world might think it’s just one day out of the year – we know better.

And to my own mom who has been gone from my daily life for years now, but never, ever far from my heart or thoughts – I love you, Mom.