With Mother’s Day approaching, you may be stumped for a gift idea. Does your aging mother need any more clothes to fill the already stuffed closets? Or jewelry, or slippers or a robe? Probably not. How about a thank you note to show appreciation for who she is and what she has done?
Thanking your mom is important. Why? She can read and reread the words and be assured of your love, even when you are far away. A thank-you also shows your acknowledgment of the wonderful things she has done for you and your family, even long ago.
To start, make two lists: BEING and DOING.
1. Under BEING, write adjectives that come to mind when you think of her. Perhaps loving, patient, kind, hard-working, other-centered. These, and other words you think of, show her essence.
2. Under DOING, write specific things that she has done for you and for other members of the family. My mother-in-law’s list includes driving an hour to attend all our family functions and making pies, even when she might prefer to retire from the job.
3. Now COMBINE the lists into sentences. Here’s a sample. I’m going to ask other members of our family–adult grandchildren and great-grandchildren–to write their own.
We don’t take time often enough to tell you how much we love and appreciate you, Mom. You have been a source of loving support to three generations: your children, grandchildren and now, great-grandchildren. We love your generous gifts, whether they are afghans for new babies, or homemade jam or pies.
More than that, though, we have wonderful memories of you rocking babies, attending all our family dinners, and even trying to teach our boys how to make pies. Hard working, loving and kind are a few words we could use to describe you. But they don’t say it all, by any means.
Happy Mother’s Day,
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