Mother's Day Delight

I know it's been a week, but I had an absolutely superb Mother's Day and have basked in the joy of it since then. Allan was not working (incredibly so, he seems to get all of the holiday shifts it seems) so we planned a day with our families, lunch with my parents and dinner with Allan's parents. However they took a great turn as lunch turned out to be with my Mom's entire family (her mother, her only sister and dh, along with nearly all of my cousins and their families) and dinner turned out to be with all of Allan's family (his siblings and their families). To top it off, it was my Mom's birthday so celebrations abound!

Because of the great turn out, we had lunch at a large restaurant which happened to be having a buffet for Mother's Day. I sat next to my dear Grandmother (furthest right), the matriarch of our family, and across from my favourite cousin-in-law. Originally from Portugal and having grown up in Australia, she is an incredibly fun and optimistic Mom of two sweet and very busy boys. We live in different cities and lean on our husbands to move closer to each other when we are together.

While we were waiting for everyone to arrive someone came up to me said, "Remember me?" It was one of the boys I used to care for in my dayhome which I had when I first started as a doula. He was one of the sweetest boys I ever cared for and though his Mom was concerned about his being "hyperactive" (because of comments from others), we both agreed he was truly just a very busy boy. He is a young man now, all of 12 years old. Sadly his Mom wasn't there, but his Dad and little brother were there... well not so little, he just turned nine himself. His little brother's birth was my first certifying birth! We had an awesome chat and he talked to my boys for a long time too.

No sooner had I finished lunch and was holding one of my cousin's boys when a beautiful young woman came up to me and asked if I knew who she was. Drawing a blank, she introduce herself and I instantly realized that she was one of my teen clients. Behind her were her parents whom I recognized immediately and her two daughters where there also. She had gone on to finish her education degree and is now married. I learned through our discussion that she teaches full time and lives not far from me. I chatted with her and her parents (who are the most wonderful couple), remembering her birth as her mother and I supported her. Talk about icing on the Mother's Day cake to see two of my "doula babies".

We had a BBQ at my in-laws that evening, a wonderful conclusion to the day. They haven't had a BBQ in years because my father-in-law doesn't BBQ, but they purchased one especially for the day so that we could all enjoy the day at their house rather than go to a crowded restaurant where the kids would be bored and the din would make conversation difficult (been there done that last year). One brother-in-law cooked all the hamburgers (including some great buffalo burgers), smokies and more while we all stood or sat around and visited and ate. Summer BBQ's are the best! Next up: Father's Day at another brother-in-law's beautiful place near Drayton Valley. I can't wait...