#359 Mother's Day Again

Mother’s Day. It was yesterday and it was the second one without Eric.




Growing up we always had a big Mother’s Day celebration. We would have another family over complete with grandmothers and of course my grandmothers were there. It was usually the first barbecue of the year and there were kids running around, a volley ball net set up in the backyard, and of course gifts for the moms and grandmoms.



Yesterday was a little different. We still celebrated but the crowd was a lot smaller. It was my parents and my family. No Eric, none of my grandmothers. No volley ball net.



We still had a good time. My husband, parents, the baby and I spent the afternoon watching the golf tournament and the big boys got to play with one of their favorite babysitters. During the tournament there was a moment of silence in memory of Seve Ballesteros a golfer who died three days before. During that moment I thought about him and his surviving family. I thought about Eric and I thought about all the moms out there who have ever lost a child.



After the tournament we barbecued and ate outside. The weather was beautiful and the food was good.



I loved my gifts from my boys (a framed photo of the three of them, gift certificates for books and Starbucks, a story written about me by my oldest, a homemade bookmark, a homemade flower and a beautiful painted rock) and my mother liked her gifts.



I didn’t know if I should bring up Eric or not. Part of me feels like I need to be his stand-in, to remind my mother that if he were here he would be celebrating her too. But she knows how much he adored her and she doesn’t need reminding. He’s always there. I didn’t bring him up, but I know we were all thinking about him and missing him.