“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” – Mitch Albom

The role of mothers in shaping their daughters’ and sons’ lives is unsurpassed. Mothers teach us to love, be strong, be confident, persist, live life to its fullest and be the best we can be.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. So, this year give her the gift of your heart and time and make it a special day she’ll treasure.

• Mother’s Day Brunch – Serve your mom a scrumptious breakfast or take her out for Mother’s Day brunch. If you prepare it yourself, the following menu will be sure to please: fruit salad, juice, waffles or pancakes with her favorite blueberry or strawberry topping, Canadian bacon or fresh sausage, omelets or Eggs Benedict, homemade hash browns and coffee cake or Danish pastries. Also, don’t forget the fresh-cut flowers for the table centerpiece.
• Spring Blooms – What better way to spend a spring day than together in your mother’s garden? Pick up her favorite annuals and perennials: begonias, petunias, violets, morning glories, poppies, marigolds, snapdragons or mums. Then enjoy a relaxing day together, planting and sprucing up her flower garden and catching up on old times.
• Mother/Daughter or Mother/Son Memories – Give your mom a keepsake that’ll be dear to her heart. Purchase “Mothers & Daughters: A Record Book About Us” to fill out and share with her. Or create your own memory book with a scrapbook or journal. Include photos and memories about special times the two of you have had together, the most important things you remember about your mother from your childhood, how she inspired you and the times you look forward to ahead.
• The Main Event – Surprise your mother with tickets to an event she’s been dying to see: the ballet, a concert, play or musical, the opera, a favorite sporting event, a comedy show or dinner theater. Be sure to tell her you have something special planned (but not what), so she’ll be all yours for the day. This may need to be scheduled for a future date.
• Family Portrait – If your family is like most, you’re well overdue for an updated family portrait. What better time to have it done than on Mother’s Day? Schedule to have your family’s picture taken at a studio, or hire a photographer for a photo shoot in the park. Coordinate with family members in advance on the formality and color scheme, so outfits don’t clash. Inform your mother how to dress for her special day, but keep the specific reason a surprise.
• The Power of Poetry – You don’t need to be a poet to write a special verse for your mother. In your poem, share what it was like growing up with her, how she influenced your life or tell her just what she means to you. Then print it on stationery, matte and frame it.
• A Little Pampering – Mothers spend many years pampering their children giving bubble baths, washing hair and caring for them when they’re ill. Give your mother a special treat, a gift certificate for pampering at the spa where she can enjoy a Swedish massage, hair design, a sea spa manicure and pedicure or a soothing facial.
• Weekend Getaway – Put together a weekend package designed especially for your mom. Choose a city that offers excellent shopping, art museums and cultural centers, or even a quaint historic town with cute shops, cafes and parks. Leave the dates for the getaway open so she can make the trip at her convenience or so the two of you can make plans together.
• Keep it Simple – Plan a relaxing day together, enjoying the outdoors. Head to a nearby park where you can meander along nature trails while reminiscing, or take a scenic bike ride.
• Especially for Mothers – Buy a book for and about moms. Consider one of the following:
  • “Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me” by Maya Angelou
  • “I Love You, Mom” by Amylee Weeks
  • “Why a Daughter Needs a Mom” by Gregory E. Lang
  • “Why a Son Needs a Mom” by Gregory E. Lang
  • “Mothersongs: Poems For, By, and About Mothers” by Sandra M. Gilbert et al.
  • “Mom, I Wrote a Book About You” by M.H. Clark
  • “Real Poems for Real Moms: From a Mother in the Trenches to Another” by Rachel S. Donahue
  • “Mom, Tell Me Your Story: Keepsake Journal” by Susan Branch
  • “You Are One Amazing Lady: Special Thoughts to Share with a Truly Wonderful Woman” by Douglas Pagels
  • “Dear Mother: The Hot Mess of Motherhood” by Bunmi Laditan