KFC – It’s What’s for Mother’s Day!

JULIE: Dandelion bouquets.  Homemade breakfast in bed.  Handmade cards splashed with crayon hearts.  Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Wait, what? Let me explain…Growing up, Mother’s Day was my mom’s annual day off, her well-deserved reward for all she did the other 364 days of the year. It was also the one day of the year that she didn’t have to figure out what to cook for dinner for 7 hungry mouths. We always got a bucket of KFC, a rare and welcome treat.

When our oldest daughter was born, I couldn’t wait for my turn. We would also celebrate the first Mother’s Day that John’s mom was a Grammie, and then join my siblings at my parents’ house for our traditional KFC dinner. It went perfectly – until John discovered that the subdivision sewer system had backed up into our basement. While it wasn’t the Mother’s Day I had envisioned, it was certainly one we’ll never forget!

JOHN: When Julie became a mom, I saw her in a different light.  I had seen her as MY lover, MY Best Friend,  yet with each child I came to increasingly see her as OUR Lover, OUR Best Friend.  Her love for our kids did not diminish her love for me at all.  Somehow, some way, her capacity for sharing her endless gift of love only grew.  I also came to better appreciate my own Mom, not only as the mother of five, but also an incredibly loving and generous wife for my Dad.  I am forever changed by being a partner to one amazing mother!

JULIE: Becoming a mom helped me to finally fully appreciate and cherish my own mom.  I became a better wife and a better person because of it. I became less selfish with my time and my love as my heart expanded with each child.  As I rocked our babies to sleep, I couldn’t help but feel gratitude to John for the great joy that our children had brought into our marriage. Not only were we spouses, lovers, and best friends, we were also parent partners.  Becoming parents strengthened our marriage like superglue, especially at 3 am when we were cleaning walls from our sick toddler’s projectile vomiting. Glancing at each other across the bedroom, we couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it.

JOHN: Now that our kids are grown, Mother’s Day has a new meaning.  With Julie’s mom gone, our day is less hectic than in years past.  We slow down to savor the gift of my mom, all too aware that one day the focus will be solely on Julie.  The greatest Mother’s Day gift I can give Julie is my never-ending gratitude for the gift of our children, even though that gift was challenging at times.  I can acknowledge the wonderful mother that she is and tell her how much I admire her for all she does for our kids. 

Happy Mother’s Day! And please pass the KFC!