“A letter home to mom, I love you”

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Julian Bartlebaugh

Mothers day 2020 will be celebrated differently this year due to COVID-19

Happy Mothers Day, a day to celebrate everything a mother is. This Mothers Day, for some, is a new challenge in their motherhood experience. Moms across the country are dealing with this pandemic and its everyday struggles. This Mother’s Day is still to celebrate the mothers in our world and our lives. For all the moms in our lives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, be sure to thank them and make it known they are appreciated. To all the new mothers out there, to all the front line-working mothers putting it on the line everyday, to the single moms who are the rock of their family, and to all the mothers fighting their own struggles in this pandemic, thank you. 

“The pandemic has slowed everyone down. Many of us didn’t realize how fast and constantly we were moving until we were instructed to be still. Some mothers hope to hold on to that,” opined USA Today.

Usually Mother’s Day is celebrated differently by many families: some make breakfast, others make or buy gifts. On Mothers Day 2020, some might not be able to get their mothers gifts, some might not be able to go home and see their mom, and some might not be able to afford it financially.

If there is one gift any mother would ask for, could you guess what they would say? One thing that is an undeniable factor in life and the world – time. It never seems to slow down and we are always running out of time. One gift we can all give to our mothers this year is our time.

Being quarantined and maintaining social distancing, students and workers are being asked to stay home. There is a saying that has been used for years: as you get older time seems to move faster. In a blink of an eye your baby is turning into an adult about to take on the world. 

My own mother would always say this joke whenever I would start acting out as a child and even throughout the teen years, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it.” Sometimes we forget the amount of sacrifice our mothers have made to make us who we are. Without our mothers, we don’t exist. They are half of the equation to life, some may even argue more. As children, teens, and young adults, we might not understand or know the sacrifices made to create another living, breathing, human. I’ve heard this thousands of times: “When you have kids of your own you will understand.” One day we will be able to understand what it is like to raise a family, and all those moments we don’t know about yet.

The media site Hello Motherhood put it well: “The meaning of being a mother is virtually endless. A mother is a protector, disciplinarian and friend. A mother is a selfless, loving human who must sacrifice many of their wants and needs for the wants and needs of their children. A mother works hard to make sure their child is equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities to make it as a competent human being. Being a mother is perhaps the hardest, most rewarding job a woman will ever experience.”

Many mothers they might be scared, they might be struggling, they might be in a bad spot right now. If there is one thing a mother is good at among a slew of other challenges, it is perseverance. For some this might be easy. They might be looking at the bright side of being able to spend more time with their children, time that will never be given back. Others might be going through unimaginable struggles. At the end of the day, a mother knows she can do it. She knows she can deep down, because from the start of her first child, she has been prepared for anything: to carry another human for nine months and fight the battles of pregnancy, to raise a child into an adult, to be the foundation of a family. Thank you.

Finally, to the most important woman in my past, present, and future. Mom I love you. Thank you for everything you do for the family and for me. Without you, I don’t know where I would be. You are the motivation that has formed me and my success. I attribute the life I live now to everything you have done to raise me. You make the little things count and provide the unconditional love that no one else can. Happy Mothers Day mom, I love you.