My idea of a perfect Mother’s Day.

Not that anyone would ask, but this is my idea of a perfect Mother’s Day.

I would sleep in. When the dog barked, someone else would miraculously take care of letting him out and feeding him. When I finally wake up, around 8:30 a.m., the sun would be shining through my spotlessly clean windows. All of the laundry that I have yet to put away because it doesn’t all fit in my drawers would have somehow found a home overnight.

I get up to go to the bathroom, and when I look around, I realize that there is not a single speck of dirt on the floor and that both the shower and the sink are clean. It’s amazing. I can go to the bathroom without making a to-do list of chores that I need to find time to get done or a list of repairs that I can’t afford to do.

Something catches my eye as I start to come downstairs. Wait, what is that? Oh my goodness! It’s my son’s floor! I haven’t seen that floor in a year! He has cleaned up all of his clothing – not sure if it is clean or dirty or maybe both – and he has folded it and put it away! It is no longer in a huge pile that the dog can lay on or someone could walk on. This is either some kind of miracle or I am dreaming.

As I walk downstairs, I am immediately aware of sounds that are very different than I usually hear. There are no sounds of weapons firing, no screams about things I don’t understand or may very well be in a foreign language being shouted into the computer. What is that sound I hear? Can it actually be what I think it is? Are my sons talking? And laughing? And then my heart actually stops for a moment as they turn to me and say, “Good morning, Mom. How did you sleep?”

So far, I still cannot tell if this is real or in a dream. It is all so far removed from my reality, it must be a dream. I hear my sons saying, “Mom, we know how hard you work, so we are taking care of everything today. We are going to clean the house, take care of the yard, finally clean out those gutters, make all of the meals, and do the laundry. What would you like to do today?”

Now I know I am dreaming.

Here’s the real truth. Mothers do not want to “do” anything for Mother’s Day. The whole idea is to have a day where we do not have to “do.” We spend all day, every day doing for everyone else. This Mother’s Day, I would like to just have a day where I wasn’t in charge of absolutely everything, but it all still gets done: a day where I could read or write or nap or watch movies, without feeling like I suck because the house still isn’t clean, there is no milk, orange juice, or clean clothes, and the couch still smells like dog.

Maybe the most important thing about Mother’s Day is really just recognizing that it is an incredible gift to be a mom. I have definitely made mistakes and there are countless things that I wish I could do over, but every single minute of being mother to these two incredible humans has been a gift. I knew the moment that each of them were conceived. They were created in an abundance of love and hope and promise – and they have continued to bring love, hope, and promise into my life every day since.

To all of you who are mothers, Happy Mother’s Day. You are pretty freaking amazing. And don’t you ever forget it.