Musing on Mom's Day

On Friday, I pulled into the drive-thru teller at my bank. Two vehicles blocked the view of the teller window because I was in the third lane. I took care of my banking business then pushed the button that shoots the plastic tube up through the ceiling and into the bank. It returned in about minute. As I reached for it the teller said, "Thank you," then added "Happy Mother's Day." I said a quick thank you into the speaker, then drove away, a little surprised by her comment. The bank people don't know me from Eve. They don't know if I'm a Mother or a single girl who doesn't have children. Saying "Happy Mother's Day" is not like saying, "Happy Holidays." It just doesn't apply to everyone. But then again, after I thought it about it, maybe the bank teller can say "Happy Mother's Day" to everyone, because even if a person is not a mother, they have (or had) one. Having a mother applies to everyone. No one got here without a mother. So--- Mother's Day is a celebration of life day. I'm here, you're here, because we had a mother. (And a father, but that's next month.)

One of my all time favorite writers is Pearl S. Buck. I love her motherly wisdom and the way she puts it in words. "To My Daughters With Love,"is a book she wrote in the early seventies. She saw the world changing, the sexual revolution and the breaking apart of the family. At the time she was deeply enmeshed in two cultures, the Chinese and the American. She writes about traditions from both, the ones she wanted her daughters to embrace, and also the ones that only served to hold people in bondage and isolation. I found this wonderful volume at a library book sale, so I don't know if you can get it on Amazon. Read about Pearl at Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck

Happy Mother's Day to All!