I might not get the most popular vote on this post today, but I have an admission . . . Mother’s Day is not my favorite day of the year. :) I’m not sure what it is? Unfulfilled expectations? Growing up in a dysfunctional family? Not feeling good enough? Comparison with others who seem to be the “perfect” mother? The goal of this post, and every post here is to seek, give and embrace LIGHT! As we are a couple short weeks away from the day we celebrate mothers, I want to share some of the things I’ve had to do to come to grips with this day that I dread!

I’ve had to dig deep, and search for the good aspects of this day. Luckily, through the years, the dread has now been filled with LIGHT, hope, love, and wisdom! I have chosen to celebrate the women who have filled my life with these great and positive attributes! Heavenly Father fills the voids in our lives with others who lift, and love, and serve unconditionally. He has certainly done this for me! Mother’s Day has now become a day for me to celebrate the strong loving women in my life who mean the world to me! These women are family and friends who get up each day and strive to do their best to make the world a better place. They are LIGHT GIVERS, and I love them! They seek for opportunities to serve, and that makes me want to do the same.

I pray each night to have an opportunity to serve someone the next day. I pray each morning to accomplish that service, based on the thoughts and feelings that come to mind. I don’t profess to receive inspiration for other people, but I do believe Heavenly Father guides us to those who need some kindness and love. No matter where those feelings come from, as long as they are good and positive, just go with them! Every good thing comes from God! Sometimes these ideas take more than a night/day for me to bring to fruition, but I write them down and then get to work. Some things are easy and don’t take much time at all. A smile to a stranger, picking up the tab for the person behind me in line, a generous tip to a seemingly overwhelmed waiter, a written heartfelt note to a friend mailed in an envelope with a stamp, a text to check on someone whose been on my mind a lot, a phone call, lunch with a friend, or even just a “like”, a share, or a comment on someone’s Instagram page. There are opportunities out there every day for simple little kind acts of service.

Each day on Mother’s Day now, I look for opportunities to thank those who have been there for me, or who may need a little pick-me-up of their own. This year, I saw an idea on Pinterest using a cardboard two-sided disposable drink holder with the handle in the center. One side had a little bouquet of fresh flowers, and the other side had a drink in it from “Fizz” or “Swig”. As is generally the case, my brain started whirring and I came up with my own little twist to this gift combo. I loved the floral arrangement idea, but decided on faux spring flowers instead of real ones. That made it easier to deliver whenever I got them done instead of having to get them out before the flowers died.

Instead of a drink that would also have a delivery constraint attached, I chose to do a rolled up dish towel, small tube of hand lotion, and a cute spreading knife in the other side. After gathering the things I wanted to put in both sides, I discovered a normal size drink cup holder would be too big. As I was talking to my daughter about my dilemma, she said, “You could just make your own. . .” So I designed a smaller one on my “Cameo Silhouette”. It was a great suggestion, even though it took an entire day just to design it. I cut them out using my favorite “Bo Bunny” scrapbook cardstock. Most projects I do involve ribbon in some way. I glued a solid pink satin on first, and then a thinner woven floral overlay from my favorite ribbon store, “Knot + Spool” in Holladay, Utah. I’ve been experimenting with my new printer and watercolor paper and designed the floral hearts that I cut out and glued to the side of the drink holder as the finishing touch. I love a challenge, and designing this cup holder didn’t disappoint.

I found an adorable little glass carafe with a plastic lid at “Crate and Barrel” and filled it with a small bouquet of faux spring flowers from “Modern Display” in Murray, Utah. I tucked the lid into the cup holder in case they want to use the carafe for something else. I’ve been eyeing these dish towels from “Gingiber” and decided to try them out. They aren’t fancy microfiber or anything, just a cute botanical print on a nice quality white flour sack dishtowel. They come already rolled up and tied with twine. I picked up the small tubes of hand lotions from one of my favorite stores in Holladay, Utah – “Amy Boutique”. And the perfect spreading knife, kitchen gadget from “Orson Gygi” in Salt Lake. I ended up only having time to make three of these little gifts for some special ladies I try to connect with each month.

I compromised on a few more, and did a different variation of the gift using my go-to recycled bags from “Natural Life” and they turned out cute as well.

I wanted to share these ideas in case you are looking for something to do for the women in your lives for Mother’s Day. If you too struggle on this day, don’t beat yourself up, keep your chin up! You’re doing great! Life is hard! Don’t dwell on the negative, look for the positives and focus on those. We can celebrate the women in our lives every day of the year, not just on Mother’s Day. I am truly blessed by so many of you!!!! Thank you for filling my days with LIGHT! Whether you have children of your own or not, you make a difference in so many lives!!! So Happy Women’s Day!!! May it be filled with those you love and lots of LIGHT!

Love Ya, Les :)