Mother's Day 2026: Let Nature Mother You

Mother’s Day always comes with a fanfare: Hallmark stores, flower shops, advertisements, brunch reservations.... It's a revered holiday with a lot of hoopla, as well it should be! (Says the mother in me! Birthing is hard work, and we moms deserve a lot of credit for the houses we run and the parenting we do on the daily.)

But this year especially, I'm walking into Mother's Day differently, having said goodbye to my mom 4 months ago. We are also in the middle of closing up my childhood home--a family home that predates ME. Estate sales, papers to be signed, packing, real estate agents.... It is a huge memory flood over here. I'm moving that home to my heart where it used to be a house of which I have a key. I’m still figuring out how to carry my mom with me in a world where I cannot call or text her. 

It reminds me that that Mother's Day can come with tenderness and quiet complications for some. "Motherhood" and "mothering" take many shapes. It shows up in the care others offer us and the things we do for others. Aunts, grandmothers, step-mothers, foster families, teachers, mentors, friends, pet mamas, good neighbors, self-kindness...we all mother (and are mothered) in our own special ways. Even if it's tricky or complicated or non-traditional.

In this time of loss for me, I've noticed that nature has been mothering me a lot lately. A beach trip a few weeks ago did wonders for my equilibrium. I've found myself marveling at the birds and critters that abound. A lot of my gratitude journal points lately have been the warmth of the sun and the flowering of the trees after a really long, hard winter. Mother Earth has reminded me of how therapeutic she really is, especially when we need it. It also reminded me that while grief doesn't really take a holiday, it doesn't cancel out joy. Both can peacefully coexist, simultaneously... which is pretty heavy sometimes for an overthinking gal.

May this spring and this Mother's Day, remind you of all the special memories you cherish--whether it be with your own mother, your mother-figures, your children, or Mother Earth. The good, the messy, and the imperfect. May this "May day" help you "care-forward" (for the planet, for your people, for you) in one of these many ways by letting nature mother you:

•  Take a slow walk somewhere that feels like “home ground.” It might be a backyard, a neighborhood sidewalk, or a local park. Soak in your senses as you walk, taking note of three or more things someone taught you to notice: birds, clouds, the feel of grass, the blossoming flowers, the smell of rain. the warmth of the sun.

• Plant something. A tree in your yard, herbs in a pot, or flowers in a community garden. Plant it in honor of someone who mothered you or simply as a thank‑you to the planet that keeps mothering us all.

• Find an old photo (digital or printed) of you and your mom or someone else who's meant a lot to you. Soak in the memories of that space and place. 

• Reach out to someone who has "mothered" you by making that phone call or writing them a note, text, or email. Share with them how much they have meant to you. Send it or pay tribute in a way that is meaningful to you.

• Hug the people or pets in your life you have mothered. Feel it deeply, and lock in the moment.

• If Mother’s Day comes with emotions you can't handle, you always have permission to step away from the noise. Spend an hour outside doing one quiet act of care for you: bird watching, tending your garden, picking up litter, creating art al fresca, or simply sitting under a tree and breathing.

This Mother’s Day, I'm going to try to let nature be the lead. I'm going to try pay attention and be in the moment, soaking up what I can, and honoring the myriad of emotions that pass through (even as they change at any given moment). I'm going to try to be the best mom I can be to my own kids--the furry one too. I'm thanking the universe for the gifts I've been given and the memories I hold. I'm going to let nature mother me... and may she do the same for you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Photo created at Canva.com with my photos.

Happy Mother's Day 2025

This weekend is Mother's Day. It got me thinking about all sorts of motherhood as I sat outside watching springtime in action, with birds & squirrels frolicking amidst our flowers in bloom. Just as mothers tend their children, the earth tends us all. 

May all who tend each other out there (including you, Mother Earth), have a glorious Mother's Day weekend ahead.

To the human mother, rocking her child in the wee small hours, tending to knees and needs, always taking care of thankless deeds....

To the animal mother, shielding her young, whether furred or winged, sheltering the den, fiercely protective & guarding them time and again....

To Mother Earth herself, cradler of forests, keeper of ocean currents, arms wide to the sky where birds soar and fly high....

Thank you for your gift of giving, your love of living, your shelter, warmth, protection, guidance, and endless strength you share.

It is through your raising--whether by heart, hands, paws, wings, rain, sunshine, breath--that we are fed,  taught, and shown the path to grow, to heal, to take root, and to soar.

Today, we honor mothers of all kinds—

whether they gave birth to us or shared their hearts in other countless ways,

those who nourished us through laughter and tears, throughout the years, through shared wisdom, gentle encouragement, and unwavering patience,

Never asking for more than our the gift of carrying their care forward, out into the world.

Happy Mother's Day!

Image created using Magic Media tools of Canva.com

Happy Mother's Day

"Maycember" is a fairly new term (thank you social media) referring to the crazy busy time of May....relating in some ways to the crazy mayhem of the Christmas/December holiday season.

May gets truly nutty when it comes to the end of the school year, end of sports seasons, Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurses Appreciation Week, graduations, Mother's Day and more! My calendar is certainly an explosive example over-activity.

It's been a bit of a Maycember for me too. (And probably some Aprilcember too!)

During this mid-Maycember season, I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day. Whether you are one, you are celebrating one, you are an animal one, or give care in any other way, may your day be a wonderful one. Maybe even spending it out and about in Mother Nature.

Image created at canva.com and https://www.growchristians.org/2023/04/30/maycember-is-upon-us/

Happy Mother's Day

With it being Mother's Day weekend, I was thinking of my mom, of being a mom to my children, to the grandmothers in my children's lives, and to all the other moms who are out there in so many ways: aunts, friends of family, confidantes, and more. We are moms to our kids in our classroom, in the same way that female coaches are to their athletes, and day care providers are to their little ones. 

All of those thoughts led me to this poem by Denise McKay, which strikes a chord to the heart of what it means to be a mother.

Honor and celebrate all your mothers out there this Mother's Day.

Poem art from https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/list-poetic-terms-used-poem-give-example-term-identified-point-form-list-comparisons-mothe-q68950364 

Happy Mother's Day 2021

“My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.” 

—Michael Jordan

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Spend some time outdoors today! Preferably with the people you love!

Image created at https://wordart.com/create

Mothers' Day 2020

With this being Mothers' Day weekend, I was struck by both the idea of motherhood in general as well as the idea of Mother Earth. These two quotes resonated with me.

In some ways, "Mother" and "Mother Earth" could be interchangeable between them both. 

May you spend quality time with Mother Earth, and cherish time or memories with the special people in your life you mother or who have mothered you in one way or another. Happy Mothers' Day.

David Suzuki image from https://www.facebook.com/108872667224248/photos/a.108878547223660/108881403890041/?type=3&theater and the other one created at Canva.com

Happy Mother's Day: Spending It Outdoors & Modeling Environmentalism

My son recently went on a Middle School field trip where half of it was environmental stewardship in nature, and the other half was spent on the water doing stand up paddle boarding (aka "SUP"). He loved it. We're making plans to go sometime this summer, and if money were no object, he'd be buying a paddle board right this very minute!

The company he SUP'ed with is brilliant...they just sent forth a mother's day deal, where moms paddle board for free this Mother's Day. We'd be totally on board (pun intended) if it weren't an already-filled calendar with a mid-day lacrosse game and plans with the extended family, some of whom wouldn't be so into the paddle boarding.

Truth be told, I'd blow off the LAX game in a heartbeat, given kid sports on Mother's Day is not my personal favorite. We've fallen victim to that time and time again over the last dozen years, irking me from a sports scheduling standpoint, but I certainly digress. The spirit of a family bike ride, a water adventure, a hike in the woods, a visit to the park is far superior to that of an organized sport for both outdoor family fun and together on a holiday. It kind of reminds me of how wonderful our Father's Day camping trip was a few years ago.  (This year, it looks like we'll be at a Father's Day soccer tournament! Insert growl & more digression here.)

This year, whatever you do to celebrate Mother's Day, perhaps it will include some outdoor adventure.

These articles & websites may also help with the inspiration... and may they include a little education along the way:

• Find a great checklist at the Montana Outdoor Science School Facebook page entitled "30 Things to Do With Your Kids Outside" or visit their website.

• Read EcoWatch's April 2018 article "How to Raise and Environmentalist."

• Check out Hike It Baby, where their mission is to raise "a generation to love the outdoors" and change the world "one little hike at a time"

• A throwback, but outdoors are timeless:  Mother's Day --Give the Gift of the Great Outdoors. A bundle of outdoor activities that you and your family can do together.

• For some eye-opening stats, check out this 2016 Treehugger article "Children Spend less time Outside Than Prison Inmates."  If the title alone doesn't get you yearning to go outside, the "Free the Kids: Dirt is Good" video on the site will make you want to head outdoors (and make you count your blessings)!  You can also check out the Dirt Is Good website for other resources (including their Wild Explorers app) to help influence you and your kids of all ages to get outside.

Mother's Day outdoors photo from http://www.austinkayak.com/blog/2012/05/mothers-day-2012-give-the-gift-of-the-great-outdoors/; paddleboarding image https://goo.gl/images/rWWxmD, Mother's Day quote image from http://happymothersdayimagess.org/mothers-day-sayings.html/happy-mother-day-sayings-2017-2