Many of you may not know this, but today is Mother’s Day. “What is this ‘Mother’s Day that you speak of?” you may ask. Well, let me tell you.

Mother’s Day has its roots in Ancient Greece which had a “festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods.” (Encyclopædia Britannica (1959) Vol.15, p. 849). Just as a side note, that was quoted from Wikipedia and not off the top of my head. It’s not like I know EVERYTHING. So anyway, the Greeks invented it and, their current economic decisions notwithstanding, it was a good call for a number of reasons. Mother’s Day is the number one day to dine out in the US. That means that the Golden Corral/Western Sizzlin’/or some other trough feeding frenzy establishment in NC will be even busier than usual. According to the aforementioned Oracle of Knowledge (wiki), Americans will spend about 2 and a half billion (with a B) dollars on flowers and more than 1 and a half billion (with a B) on gifts like spa treatments.

Quick endorsement here — my mother is the lead aesthetician in a spa in Arizona (you know, the state that loves the sun but hates tans). Spending money on all of your mothers at my mom’s spa sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Plus it’s patriotic because it would contribute to the “economy.” My mother works at a spa and I endorse this message. Thank you.

Getting back to the money spent on Mother’s Day. Curiously, we will only spend less than $70 million (not a B) on greeting cards. Clearly, we don’t think our mothers can read. But I suppose it makes sense when you consider that they like pretty things that smell nice (flowers), someone else to do stuff for them (spa), and not all that fancy book learning that makes their cute little brains hurt. It’s funny how Anna Jarvis, the woman who founded Mother’s Day in America in 1908, spent the entire rest of her life and fortune (even getting arrested) protesting the commercialization of this holiday. There is probably a lesson to be learned there. Something along the lines of “Never let a woman make up a holiday. She’ll say she really wants it and then as soon as she gets it… she’s not happy with it anymore.” Typical.

Now that I’ve clearly offended a little more than half of you (statistically) and made the other half howl wildly in laughter (ok that’s a bit of a stretch — probably more like snicker and peer over your shoulder to see if “she” sees you), let me tell you what I really think about Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is the day that I officially get the chance to tell my mother how much I love and appreciate her. Sure I could tell her every day, but that might be like 40-years-old-living-in-her-basement kind of creepy. It’s the day I get to tell her that I appreciate all of the hard work and sacrifice she put in over the years to raise me into the ingrate that I am today. She’s the strongest woman I have ever met. Really. She can lift like 100 pounds straight over her head. Amazing. That’s triple digits, fellas.

Seriously, my mother is the most amazing woman I have ever known. I know she doesn’t believe me but she has taught me how to be a better man. With all of my sarcasm, she taught me to be respectful and kind and considerate. She taught me that women can be amazingly smart and at the same time incredibly simple. If you love them honestly and openly they will love you back with everything they have. She taught me that women are fragile creatures that have unending internal strength. She continues to teach me about the importance of spirituality and to have a grounded and humble view of my place on this Earth (I never said I listen to all of her advice).

Technically, I come from a “broken” home. I have never looked at it that way. That may be in large part because while my mother may have moved out, I never felt as if she left. Not sure that makes any sense but I have always felt her presence in my life. I’m 10,000 miles away right now and I still get notes and packages from her reminding me how much she cares for me. When I was going through a really rough time in Iraq she mobilized an army of support for me. She came to my rescue, emotionally. Yeah, my Dad told to me shut up and quit whining, which was also the right thing to do. I needed both perspectives… the disapproving glare of my father saying “suck it up” and the cookie from my mother when I scraped my knee. Hence, my home was not broken. It was just geographically separated. I pray my children feel the same way.

(And while I’m on the subject of my father, his current wife makes him very happy. For this, I couldn’t be more appreciative. I can only hope to meet a woman that makes me as happy and who is as concerned about my children as she is for my father’s.)

Any of you who know my mother, knows that she is… ummm… verbose. Clearly I have received this “gift” from her. So you can all thank her for these long posts I write. She’s the one who taught me the love of communication. Wallowing in the details of the art of it. The subtleties and complexities.

She also instilled in me a sense of adventure. She dragged me along to get SCUBA certified when I was 12! I didn’t realize it at the time but this SCUBA class in a pool in Syracuse, NY would provide much of my direction over the course of my life. Her ability to conquer her paralyzing fear and complete the course was rivaled only by her desire to see me get out there and do it on my own. She allowed me to become a dive master and work in Mexico supervising other kids diving for the summer when I was in the 10th grade! And then the next summer, work at a dive shop in the Cayman Islands Or maybe it was senior year summer… I don’t remember. Sure, we were privileged with money from my father’s hard work but I was also privileged to have my mother’s confidence and sense of adventure.

I can’t help but think that these experiences helped shape the person I’ve become — a man who desires deep experiences from life, whether it’s SCUBA diving, jumping out of airplanes, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (coming this August), or getting in a cage to check out Great White sharks (in about 2 weeks). She has made me understand that “this is my life and it’s ending one minute at a time.” Appreciate the beauty and grandeur that is life and the time spent with loved ones. And maybe even more important than anything else… she has made me a better father. And for that alone I cannot ever thank her enough. Simply put, there is no greater woman in my life.

While I’m on the subject of my kids, I would be remiss not to mention my ex-wife. While we have obviously had our share of disagreements, I am thankful that she is doing and has done such a great job being a mother. I appreciate her hard work and I understand that I haven’t always made it easy for her. Being deployed 2.5 years out of the last 3.5 is hard on everyone and how well my children have taken it is a reflection of her parenting at least as much as it is mine.

So, in conclusion, Mother’s Day is a great day regardless of its commercialization. It gives me an official day to thank all of the important women in my life and in my family.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Thank your mother… for everything!

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