I seem to be stuck on Mother’s Day this month and the yin and yang of it. Judith Voirst is one of my favorite writers. What follows is an open letter she wrote to her son and was published by the New York Times in 2005.
That extravagant expressions of affection
Do not necessarily mean that our children adore us,
Or that their failure to write or phone or do lots of lovely things for us
Means that they don’t.
I am, in addition, well aware
That most of the wise, mature, sensible women I know
Have nothing but disdain for Mother’s Day,
Which they rightfully declare to be a crass, commercial way
Of getting guilty children to spend money.
Furthermore, I am hoping that I
Will turn into one of those wise, mature, sensible women
Long before this current decade is through.
But meanwhile, if you know what’s good for you,
Send flowers.
A brilliant verse. Wishing you a flower filled journey.
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Haha I am one of those wise mature women, which makes any visit or call all the more special because I know they do so when they want to and not out of guilt or obligation.
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Mother’s Day should not be just one day a year. It should be everyday. 🎵
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Good post. Hope you find yourself in a virtual forest of flowers during this Mother’s Day month.
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You are the best. Enjoy your trip.
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Just thinking about whether I sent flowers because I adore my mom, feel guilty or am victim to a crass commercial way. Probably a mixture of all three. 🙂
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Well at least you sent them;)
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True! Better safe than sorry:-)
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That last line made me laugh out loud 🙂
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Judith always tells the truth with humor. Glad you enjoyed.
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Love this! I enjoy her writing! One of my favorites that I read to my class is “The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”. She has such a good grasp of life!
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I have a pretty beaten up with love copy of that somewhere in my house.
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I agree with Judith, except that when the duty flowers come, I refuse to water them.
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A good comeback 😊
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For me, the month of May and Mother’s Day go hand-in-hand… Got a good chuckle from your post, Bernadette. 🙂
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She always leaves me smiling.
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A perfect poem!! Thanks for sharing.
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awwh-i was rght with her til the end! ha!
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Love it !!! Diane
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She’s one of my favorite writers too, Bernadette, and her book Necessary Losses had a significant impact on me. Her sense of humor shines in this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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I have gone back and reread that book many times. It is filled with truth and true North guide posts.
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Ha ha. Oh my, you’re right. This is just perfect and goes hand and hand with my last post.
Sigh.
🙂
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For sure. Great minds…..
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That last line made me chortle 🙂
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