El lunes es el Día de la Madre

It's funny the tiny things we remember and the major things we forget. Human memory is so faulty and unreliable, yet some things stick to the brain so hard and so long that even a Magic Eraser wouldn't be up to the task. When I was 11 years old and in seventh grade, I took Spanish. I only took it that one year, and I remember very little; however, for some reason the dialogues I memorized back then are forever etched in my brain. One of them included this line: El lunes es el Dia de la Madre. Translated, this says, "Monday is Mother's Day." This line bugged me so much because in my little world, Mother's Day was on Sunday, not Monday! Of course now I realize that could be different in other countries, and that Mother's Day could certainly be on a Monday, yet memories of this frustration still make me smile. I thought about it this past Sunday, as I do every Mother's Day. "El lunes es el Dia de la Madre."

My Mother's Day this year brought forth a plethora of emotions: delight, surprise, anxiety, nostalgia, and much, much love. A missionary mom I know stated that Mother's Day should really encompass the entire weekend, not just one day. Indeed! For me, it began Friday, when I walked outside to get the mail. It was too long since P-day, so I wasn't expecting anything from Eli; I figured there would be the usual junk mail and bills. I was wrong. I was delightfully wrong. In my mailbox was a large envelope with the return address of Elder Eli Webster. Eli had sent me the biggest, most beautiful, pink Mother's Day card with the loveliest sentiment inside:

"You encourage me, and I find my confidence. You quiet my tears, and I'm strong again. You give me love, and I can take on the world."

I might quiet his tears, but you can be sure mine were flowing mightily by this point. Later, I learned that he had found the card earlier in the week, and after reading the words inside, he knew it was perfect. Then he turned it over and looked at the price. Not so perfect: $7.00! For one card. His missionary frugality told him that he could not purchase a $7.00 card, so he pulled out his planner and copied down all the words inside, thinking he'd find a less expensive card and write in all the words. But as he searched for a different card, he couldn't find one that he liked even a little. Ultimately, he decided to splurge and just get the original and perfect card. Thank you, Eli!

That evening, after Shulmaith and Matt had gone downstairs for the night (at least that's what I thought), she came back up with a card from the two of them plus Isaiah. I read it happily, thinking that was all, but then up came Matt with a shoebox containing a new pair of Dansko sandals. W00T! What a surprise! I had given Shulamith Dansko sandals for her birthday recently, and I so wanted a pair myself. They are black and strappy and so adorable. Well, you just look for yourself in the photo above. I know you will be totally jealous.

Saturday flew by, and soon it was Sunday morning and time for church. Now generally, I am disappointed with the gifts they give the women on Mother's Day because they are usually these plants in little plastic cups. What do I want with one of those? We are then forced to carry these things through our next two meetings, spilling dirt all over the church.Then we get home, and what are we supposed to do with them? I really have no idea. I'm sure I sound terribly ungrateful, but seriously, this is not a good gift. To say this year was different is a vast understatement. After Sacrament Meeting, they gave all the women small wrapped boxes containing four pieces of delicious chocolate. I'm not kidding! Whoa baby, they know how to do things here in Utah. Yum!

The best part of the meeting was between the two speakers when the Primary children sang "Mother, I Love You." Now you need to keep in mind that Seth is 11 years old. He will turn 12 next month on the 14th. Let's get real. Eleven-year-old boys are SO OVER PRIMARY. They've sung "Give, said the Little Stream" and "In the Leafy Treetops, the Birds Sing Good Morning," a few too many times. Seriously, they're done. Seth is no exception. He is beyond ready to move on to the Young Men's program. Problem is, I'm less ready for that. My identity is that of a mom of little kids; it's the only station in life that feels at all comfortable. I've had children in primary for so many years; I can hardly imagine how it will feel when I no longer have a kid in there. Seth, however, doesn't care about any of this; he just wants out! Last fall, with much persuading, he stood straight and tall and sang in his ninth and final Primary Program, but by Easter, his willingness had decreased. He went up there, but barely sang at all.

So this past week, I asked him if he would consider giving me a special Mother's Day present. I asked him if he would sing with the Primary one last time, "Mother, I Love You." He agreed. At times his growing maturity catches me off guard, and this was one of those times. I didn't even have to beg. There were only about 10 kids present that day, and most were under 8, yet he stood up handsomely and sang every word. I love you, Seth. And I promise, that was absolutely your LAST time singing with the Primary.

We raced home at noon, anxiously awaiting the highlight of the day, our opportunity to Skype with Eli. Yep, when you have a missionary in the field, Christmas and Mother's Day take on entirely new meaning. The problem was we had absolutely no clue when he would call. None. So I sat glued to my computer from noon on, afraid even to go out for a walk. I tried not to be anxious. I knew we would hear from him. But as the hours crept by, the less able I was to control my anxiety. It's an hour later in Arkansas than here. Where was he?

FINALLY, at around 7:00 pm., my computer indicated that I had a Skype request. I nearly jumped out of my chair with excitement. Sure enough, in a short time we were connected, and there was Eli right on the computer screen. Words are insufficient to express how wonderful that was. He looks so great, so official wearing his missionary name tag. And he is so happy. I fell to tears almost immediately. Such a total wimp mom I am. He said, "Mom, why are you crying? I'm so happy here. I love being a missionary more than anything. It's the most awesome thing I've ever done. I can't imagine how anyone would pass up this opportunity. So why are you crying?" Shulamith reassured him that my tears were happy tears. It was just so emotional to see him after seven weeks, and our next opportunity won't come until Christmas. We were able to talk for nearly an hour, taking turns. Matt had been at his parents' house, but he got back just in time. Isaiah was at work, but he got off right at the end of our visit, so we put him on speaker phone. Everyone had a turn. Thank you, President Petersen, for allowing your missionaries to Skype. Thank you, brilliant scientists, who invented this incredible technology. Thank you, Eli, for setting this great example for all of us.

After waiting all afternoon for Eli, we were all starving. We had a late dinner, and I fell into bed utterly exhausted, happy, but exhausted nonetheless.