With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I think everyone tries a little harder to be mindfully thankful about something — anything — in their lives. In the everyday hustle and bustle, it’s easy to lose sight of how blessed we are. Recently, I have been thinking about these things and what I’m most thankful for too.
Hands down, it’s Moms.
This upcoming holiday season is one of magic and will help create many of the lifelong fond memories most adults have from growing up. But let’s stop and think about WHO is really creating this magic. Our ancestors who broke bread together (or so the story goes) or Santa and his Elves get so much credit for the joy of this season. But the real heroes? Moms.
Memories of a beautiful Thanksgiving table set with all our favorite foods are planned, cooked, decorated and cleaned up by Moms. Sure, there are helpers here and there, but Moms spend pretty much all their time creating this beautiful meal for their family to gather around. And directly after this holiday passes, the work of shopping, wrapping, baking, etc. starts for Christmas.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” adds more things to a Mom’s to-do list. School parties, teacher gifts, maybe even childcare for the upcoming break will likely be taken care of by Mom. (Note to self: buy gift cards for teacher gifts.) Then there is the holiday baking everyone loves, the Pinterest or TikTok worthy home decor, and the family Christmas card to send out. (Oh yeah, I need stamps for our cards.) Before Mom gets those checked off her list, she needs to remember what each kid might want for Christmas and get that shopping started. (And would a coffee maker or an air fryer be better for my husband’s Aunt?) You get my point. Moms are the unsung heroes of this whole next month-plus of our lives.
Yes, I’m a Mom and would love to hear how much my family appreciates EVERYTHING I do to make their memories so sweet (speaking of sweet, we are almost out of brown sugar; I’d better put that on my list with cookie ingredients), but being thanked for what I put into this season is not my goal.
I most appreciate everything I know all the Moms in my life are about to do too. For example, I get to take a simple side dish and eat Thanksgiving dinner that I don’t have to make. My Mom and my Mother-in-Law will bake pies and worry about cooking the turkey. My fellow Sister Moms will mash the potatoes and bring the green bean casserole. And even my Sisters who have “only” kids with four legs, will mother this family. They will play with my kids and buy Christmas gifts that I know my kids don’t really need, but will make them so happy to receive. And much needed as well, are my Friend Moms, who will listen to me complain about what crazy Uncle Frank did at Thanksgiving.
For this part of the year, my to-do list is just a little bit shorter because I have Moms to help me out. Along with me, they will be working overtime in the coming months to make this holiday season magic for my kids too. They will show joy to another generation and teach our future Mothers how to make the world a happier place.
So although my list of “things” to be thankful for is pretty long, I’m most thankful for Moms.
