Perfectly Imperfect: Celebrating Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

The past few weeks, I've been reflecting on Mother's Day and all the ways I've celebrated this occasion in my roles as a daughter, mother, and daughter-in-law. Each of these roles has provided me with a unique perspective and understanding of motherhood through various experiences over the years that I now get the privilege to share with you.

As a daughter, Mother's Day has always been a time for me to honor and appreciate my own mother. Each year in elementary school, we would create cards and gifts for our moms, and almost every year, these gifts included my school picture or my handprint in paint, along with colored tissue paper flowers glued all over them!

This changed in fourth or fifth grade when the project was to make clay vases. Wow! Something new!

Although I had never worked with clay before, I was eager to try it out. It was a little bit challenging working with clay, especially when my art teacher said we could create a design in the clay before shaping it into a vase. I attempted to carve butterflies, flowers, and ladybugs into mine because my mom loved them. After it was done, I painted my vase light blue with orange and yellow for the flowers and butterflies, touches of red for the ladybug and dark green at the bottom for grass.

Well, I'd like to say it was a masterful art piece made for a museum but...it didn't exactly turn out as I hoped. My vase came out of the oven celery green with brown speckles, a few orange splotches, and a white patch. Clearly, something happened causing my paint colors to melt together. As a young child, you can probably imagine how I felt when it wasn't perfect like I thought it would be. My little vase was barely five inches tall, slightly crooked, the colors were a mess and I wondered if my mom would even like it. Yet even though I was a little disappointed with how it turned out, I was proud of what I had made. It was beautiful to me and that's all that mattered. So celery green it was! I went home and picked a couple flowers from our front yard and placed them in the vase. When I presented my gift on Mother's Day that year, my mom adored it just as it was- imperfections, flaws and filled with love.

I learned that day that a gift doesn't have to be perfect, it simply has to come from the heart. My small, celery green vase, despite its flaws and imperfections, was the perfect gift that year and holds the most significance for me.

My mom kept it on a shelf in a room overlooking our backyard for years. I would see it when I visited her from Reno and after living in our family home for over forty years in Las Vegas, my mom decided to move to North Carolina in 2016, where my brother and sister moved with their families years prior. With decades of history found in furniture, art and clothes, my mom didn't take much with her and donated most of her belongings when she moved.

Shortly after she moved, we were met with news that brings you to your knees. My mom was diagnosed with cancer. Although she fought it valiantly, my mom passed away in 2019 two weeks after Mother's Day. Now looking back, I'm so grateful for that last Mother's Day with her. For anyone who has lost a parent, you know the grief is complex, especially when navigating loss around holidays. Mother's Day would forever look different for me. To my surprise, when my siblings and I started the process of going through her belongings, I found the vase sitting on her dresser. I hadn't seen it in a long time and actually kind of forgot about it. I had no idea she had brought it with her when she moved. The impact this little vase had on both me and her is something I will cherish forever. While I didn't know what the next few months of my grieving process would look like, I did know that this little celery green vase needed to be with its creative genius. Ha! So, I took it home with me to Reno, Nevada and it now stands imperfectly on a table in my home, reminding me of my mom every time I see it.

As I grew older and got married, Mother's Day took on a new meaning when I became a mother myself. My husband and I were blessed with three wonderful daughters. As each of them started school, they began creating many of the things I had made for my own mom—cards, handprints on paper and crafts, bringing back memories of my own childhood. We celebrated with a simple BBQ in the backyard or brunch after church. It didn't matter what we did as long as we were together gathered at the table.

As a daughter-in-law, Mother's Day offered another layer of celebration. It was a chance to acknowledge my mother-in-law and the role she played in shaping my husband into the man he is today. We made many meals together and I appreciate her contributions to our family, especially when it comes to faith. She was a woman of faith and truly walked the walk, advising my daughters how to approach life loving God. She was a very kind and giving woman and I am thankful for the sacrifices she made for me and the lessons I learned along the way. We lost my mother-in-law in 2025, so this year marks the first Mother's Day without her. As life goes, this year will bring joyful memories while we remember the incredible loss we've endured.

Throughout the years, Mother's Day has evolved significantly. My mother, both of my grandmothers, my mother-in-law, and my husband's aunt have all passed on. Each had a unique personality and traits that I admired. I thank God for these special women as they were smart, beautiful, hard working women who loved their families unconditionally. I am grateful for the impact each had on my life. In an effort to honor them during holiday meals, I often incorporate some of their small items such as candlesticks, a blue and white vase that my mom collected, vintage salt and pepper shakers, or fabric napkins and flatware. It helps me remember the many ways we've celebrated together over the years.

Mother's Day is a beautiful day for so many, but I also know that Mother's Day can be very difficult for many people for a variety of reasons. If you're lucky enough to be a mom (or a dog mom!), have your mothers, grandmothers, or that special woman who has impacted your life this Mother's Day, I encourage you to celebrate. If you're a new mom, Happy First Mother's Day! You are on a miraculous journey of love. And if you're wanting to become a mom or you're grieving on this day, I pray you'll find peace and comfort.

While we celebrate mothers today, I know that this is more than just a single day of celebration; it is a day to acknowledge not only the love and sacrifices made by our mothers but also to recognize the journey of motherhood in all its forms.

Much like my little celery green vase, motherhood and life are beautifully imperfect. The beauty of motherhood isn’t found in perfection, but in the love we give, the grace we extend, and the memories we share around the table. Happy Mother's Day! See you here next week.