Gemma Love to all the Mums
It’s the 14th of February and today the world will celebrate love in all its beautiful forms. Valentine’s day is an opportunity to say I love you. And I want to say it to my Mum — to all the Mums!
As a busy, working Mum my life can feel like a juggling act at times. The children are my number one, the centre of it all, the stars of the show. But any parent knows that we have other responsibilities and keeping all the balls in the air can be hard with one pair of hands. My husband juggles with me and though we are a great team we often drop balls. The laundry basket overflows, the house becomes a mess, our sleep is broken, we rush about and at the end of the week, we fall into Saturday with a sense of relief that we made it to the other side. As we juggle in the foreground we have the most wonderful support system facilitating our successes. Standing just out of the spotlight is my Mum.
Love leads all her choices
To know anything about my Mum you have to understand the environment she was brought up in. My Mum is one of six siblings and the youngest of the girls. She was raised on a council estate in the 1950s to devoted and incredibly loving parents. Her parents were grafters and providers – the family was number one. It’s no surprise that my Mum approaches life with the same outlook. She puts the family at the heart of everything she does. Love leads all of her choices.
Growing up my parent’s house was a hive of activity. I don’t have many memories of my Mum sitting down. She stood, she worked, she cooked and she helped out friends and family along the way. Mum has always wanted to bring people together, along with my Dad. They have the same family-first values that my grandparents did.
My Mum’s love and the family table
Motherhood is a complex journey. Nothing can prepare you for it. And when I reflect on my Mum as a young mother I don’t know how she did it. She helped our elderly neighbours, took our cousins and friends in for the weekend, picked other kids up from school and took them to after-school activities when their parents couldn’t. She supported the dreams of my Dad and us three girls, she is loyal and loving. To this day she puts everyone before herself. I feel blessed that my own children can absorb her love and cooking.
Being at my Mum’s table is a special experience. Yesterday we celebrated my birthday from earlier in the week, and my Mum cooked a big family meal. The table was full of food, lovingly prepared. My children, husband, Dad, sisters and my sister-in-law sat around my Mum’s table sharing the love she gives so effortlessly.
Here’s to all the Mums
At the start of a new week, I am geared up for the juggle to come. My calendar is busy, my head is full and our routine is back online. Throughout the week my Mum is a fundamental part of that routine. She cares for my children while I work, she comes to swimming lessons to make my life easy. She takes loads of washing home and brings it back clean and folded. My Mum is still giving to her family in the same selfless way she always has. Her children are still her number one, the centre of it all, the stars of the show. And that is the journey we take as mothers, to give and keep giving. Happy valentines day to all the Mums out there about to tackle this week and give to your family. I hope you can take little moments for yourself today, to have a cup of tea, to breathe deeply, to celebrate you and the love you give.
