How Do You Fill an Empty Space?

Mothers Day is almost here. For the first time in my life I’m not making any plans with my family for that day. My daughters won’t be home so there will be of fuss over  my motherhood. My mother died two and a half months ago so  I won’t have the pleasure of treating her to anything special. I feel like I should be doing something, but I’m not quite sure what. Do I follow old traditions? That would mean I have to find a circus to go to.  Taking my kids and my parents was more fun and a lot easier than expecting wiggly young girls to sit still and behave through a meal in a crowded restaurant. Our meal was cotton candy and popcorn.

Oh, the later years weren’t like that. Mom declared she didn’t like the circus. The kids had seen enough circuses to know a good one from a ragtag operation, and they weren’t impressed with the show that came through on Mothers Day. Frankly, the whole family had become a little jaded. I don’t remember what replaced the circus, but I think maybe we just stopped doing anything special to honor the moms in the family. There’s been a hole there for a number of years. I guess this year it just feels bigger.

We can’t go back. We can only move forward in life. This year I’m working on Mothers Day. I’ll be at a farmers market making fabulous balloon animals. Maybe I’ll make a complimentary balloon wrist corsage for each mother who accompanies her child through my line. By honoring one mother, I’ll honor all mothers. Balloons will fill the empty space, smiles will fill my heart.