Tomorrow is one of those days again. i do not like, rail against institutionalized holidays honoring folks and things. i like to choose who i honor when and not be dictated into doing it on certain days. But hey, i am one of this crowd and would be even more out of place if i didn’t pay homage as dictated, although i try to ignore most. But one of those mosts is not tomorrow. No, not tomorrow. There are a certain bunch of people in my life whom i would never ignore.

Mothers.

There have been many of those wonderful women who are not mentioned here due to space limitations. There are my three aunts: Naomi Jewell Martin; Evelyn Prichard Orr; and Bettye Kate Prichard Jewell, the other mother to me and many others even though she never had children of her own. There is Nancy Orr Winkler Schwarze who was the first woman of my generation of Prichard children to have a child. There is my sister Martha and her daughter-in-law Abby. There is my sister-in-law Carla and her daughter Kate. And many others. Then, there are those who have been and are very close to me.

Blythe. She is a special mother. i am always thrilled to hear of her talk about her son, my grandson Sam. She’s doing this mother thing right.

Then there is this woman who has yet to have a child of her own, but is a remarkable second mother to many, many children. Sarah. She had special relationship with Sam, her nephew, much like my Aunt Bettye Kate with me (and others), that other mother.

And then there was mine. Estelle. She could be and often was tough with me, holding me to task. But i earned her need for being tough. Maureen often comments about how i must have been a handful for my mother. And not once, never, did i feel like Estelle did not have unconditional love for me, her daughter, and her other son.

Kathie. i can hardly write this without crying. Her love for her daughter and then her grandson, my daughter and my grandson, was never ending. Many of my decisions, including agreeing to a divorce, were based on knowing her unconditional love for our daughter, and knowing that love would make things all right…and they were. She left us too early, but her love is still around.

Obviously, i have saved this one to last. i failed in finding a photo of her, Sarah, and Blythe together. My organization in photographs is as bad or worse than my disorganization in all things. But she is the mother to both, second to Kathie in Blythe’s case, but unconditional for both, and for that matter Blythe’s husband Jason and our grandson Sam. She always brings joy to me when i watch her convey that love to her children.

All of these women are different in many ways. But there is one constant, a mind-blowing unconditional love for their children. The mother-child relationship has no boundaries when it comes to love. i feel lucky to be around that love.

May all of you mothers out there have a “Happy Mothers Day.” If anyone, any event or thing, deserves a dedicated holiday, it is you.

Bless you.