Today was a superb Mother's day. It all started last night when Nate said he wanted to give me one of my Mother's day presents a little early, just the two of us. My interest was immediately piqued. He suddenly became very sweet and romantic, and said he wanted this Mother's day to be special, and wanted to do something extra special. Then he pulled out a ring...and I cried. You see, several years ago, when Coop was about a year old, I was finally kind-of able to fit my wedding rings back on my finger. After pregnancy and weight gain, I'd been wearing a $20 sterling silver band I'd purchased at the mall when I was in my last few months of pregnancy with Cooper. But one day a few years ago I decided to squeeze my wedding rings on, and wore them to work, only to have to take off the middle one--my diamond engagement ring--during the middle of the day because it was too tight. I remember taking it off and immediately placing it in an inside pocked in my purse, and could swear that I put it in my kitchen ring/key bowl when I got home that night. Needless to say, I'm not sure where/how, but I lost it. My diamond engagement ring that had been around since our FIRST engagement was gone. I was sure I'd find it when we moved a few years ago, but I didn't. And just a few weeks ago I came across that old purse, and dug through its empty pockets yet again in hopes that my ring would appear. Many a tear has been shed over my carelessness with such a special (and expensive!!) item.
So for several years now, I've been wearing either just my anniversary bands, or that sterling silver band, which I didn't mind, since it was totally my own fault that the diamond ring was lost, and the other rings were sufficient to show I'm married, which is the whole point of a ring--right?
We've talked about getting a replacement ring "someday" when we can afford one I will wear for the rest of my life. So when Nathan pulled out a ring last night, I was utterly surprised and thrilled. My sweet husband searched and searched and for a ring that is very near to the same style and such as my original engagement ring. I asked how he remembered what the band and setting looked like, and he said, "Well, I did have that ring for a long time, but I don't know, I just remember. It's kind of an important symbol of our marriage." I thought that was sweet. While the size and quality of the diamond are certainly not the same, but scaled to what we can currently afford, I am THRILLED to have a diamond ring to wear with my anniversary bands again, but what's more is the thought and effort Nathan put into finding one that is so similar to the original.
So that was the beginning of my Mother's Day 2013. Then this morning I awoke to the smell of bacon, and could hear the boys down on the kitchen. Soon Cooper came upstairs and said, "Mom, come quick! We have a big surprise for you!" As I came down the stairs, he yelled, "Surprise!" They had made me a nice big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and orange juice. It was nice to sit down and have a breakfast together, even if it did mean we were late for church.
When Nate asked Cooper what he wanted to give me for Mother's day, Cooper said, "a treat and something for her hair because Mommy has pretty hair." While Coop really wanted to get me M&Ms (which I don't care for), Nate knew better and convinced him that Swedish fish are my favorite, which they are. The hair clips are to replace the ones Cooper likes to often play with and break. Very cute gifts.
At breakfast I explained to Cooper that when he was born I became a mother, and that before then I was not. He grinned when I told him he was the one that first made this day extra special.
Naturally on Mother's day, my thoughts turn to my own mother, and all the other women who have been mothers to me throughout my life--grandmothers, great-aunts, aunts, friends, church leaders, neighbors, in-laws, and the list goes on. So many great women have influenced my life. But rather than go through all of them, I thought today of three special Mother's Day memories.
First a Mother's Day memory about my own Mother.
My mother--Terry (22 yrs), brother--Jayson (24 months), and me (6 months)
When I was a teenager, probably about 16, my Mother's day gift to my mom was a card I'd matted and framed. It was a Norman Rockwell, Saturday Evening Post-style picture of a woman dressed in an evening gown, doing her hair/makeup while sitting at a vanity, her daughter watching in awe. I gave this to my mom one-on-one in her bedroom while she was getting ready for church that morning, and then played the song My Mother/My Daughter by Janice Kapp Perry for her from a cassette tape I had.
Sometimes when I see you, my daughter, my own
My heart fills with love seeing how you have grown.
Your hands once so small have remained clean and pure
Your heart filled with love helps my own soul endure.
The prayers that you speak give me faith to go on.
And the smile in your eyes gives me hope for the dawn,
Then I wonder why and give thanks that
I was chosen to be your mother.
Daughter's part:
I've watched you dear mother each day of my life.
I've seen how you smile through the joy and the strife.
I've needed your love and have known you were there.
I've seen how you help to bring answers to prayers.
The world that surrounds me is blind and unsure,
But with you as my mother, I'm safe and secure.
Then I wonder why, and give thanks that
I was chosen to be your daughter.
We had a good cry, and a long hug, and I remember that precious moment with my Mom. Of course there are a thousand other memories or things I could share about my amazing and wonderful Mother, but that is one that came to mind today. The lyrics to that song still pertain to my relationship with my Mother to this day. My mother is still the one I turn to for many, many things. I love you, Mom, and am so thankful to be your daughter.
The second Mother's day memory I thought of today was May 10, 1998.
Engagement photos - Oct 2004
I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. That is the day that Nathan first asked me to marry him, and it happened to be Mother's day. After church that day he said he wanted to go for a drive, and we drove all the way from Cambridge, MA to Stoneham, MA. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and when we got to Stoneham, he got a little lost and frustrated, but then recovered, and pulled up to a cemetery. I immediately knew he was taking me to his mother's grave. It had been many years since he'd been there, and he had a little trouble finding the headstone, so I got out of the car and started to help him look. I found it, and remember calling him over, and then left him alone with his mom for a bit. He came back to the car, teary-eyed, and asked me to come with him. We visited the grave site and talked about his mom, and shared a special moment. Then we got back in the car and drove to my parents house in Lexington, mostly in silence, both lost in our thoughts. As we pulled into the driveway, Nate turned off the car, but stopped me before getting out. I'll never forget when he said something like, "Chrystal I took you to meet my mother today because I wanted her to know you. I wanted to introduce her to the most amazing woman I've ever met, and wanted you to meet her before I could ask you to marry me." We'd talked a little about getting married before this, so it wasn't a complete shock, but I started crying, and said, "You really want to marry me?" And he said, "More than I've ever wanted anything." The ring didn't come until a few weeks later when we went to a park with a big hill overlooking the Boston city skyline, but I count that Mother's day as the day he first proposed to me--such a special day.
My third Mother's day memory is from today as I thought about my first Mother's day with Cooper, and then the second little one that is about to join our family this week.
First Mother's Day - May 2010 (Cooper painted the frame and flower for me at daycare)
I am so blessed to be having another child. As a young child, it was my dream to grow up and be a mother. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I seldom answered with anything besides "a mom." Having these two boys is truly a dream come true.
I am thankful for all the mothers who have shaped my life, and the life of my husband. There are so many, too many to name, but you know who you are. We love each one of you, and wish you all a very happy Mother's day!
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