Mother’s Day is right around the corner! I love thinking of sweet ways to celebrate my mom, mother-in-law, and the other wonderful women in my life. This year, I partnered with Art.com to order the best Mother’s Day gift for my mom, because she really is the greatest mom in the world.
I wanted to choose something that would FEEL like motherhood. Something that could be hung and enjoyed and inspire the feelings of love, joy, and accomplishment that my mom inspires in me, through her example of showing up, doing the work, loving unconditionally, and being a forever mother.
Mom, I know you are reading this right now. Thank you for being one of my biggest fans, supporting me always, and taking care of me from 3000 miles away. I am considering this blog post my early Mother’s Day card to you, and the very best Mother’s Day gift I could think of will be in the mail to you soon, so be very excited! Here’s a sneak peek:
Two weeks ago I was talking to my mom on the phone, like I do almost every day. I recounted the list of things I needed to finish in order to meet some deadlines for remodeling the kitchen. These last couple months have been exciting and exhausting, and I was running low on enthusiasm. I told my mom I wished she were here. It would make everything so much more fun, and I could get the work done faster with her help.
An hour later the following text message buzzed on my phone: I’ll be there at 9:30am.
She was coming! Hopping on a last-second flight from Utah to Virginia and showing up to work with me, help me, and love me the way she has my entire life.
We spent four days working and working and working. She got up early and stayed up late, spending the days side-by-side with me to cut, nail, caulk, paint, plant, style, and shoot to meet all of my deadlines. She showed up in every way, and by the time she boarded the plane for home, had completely lightened my load.
The whole weekend made me realize how much I want to be a mom who shows up like that for my kids, even when they are grown and have moved away with families of their own. It also made me remember that my mom was once in this place that I am. A young mom, trying to figure things out (with one…then three…then five…then six kids of her own), filled with love, happiness, and anticipation for the future.
As I was considering what pictures I could upload to Art.com to be framed for my mom, I realized that although we have taken many great family photos we have in the last several years to hang on the walls at her house, I didn’t remember any portraits of my mom with her little babies! Thirty years ago, it wasn’t quite as simple to get images from the camera (now phone) to the wall.
I knew there must be a couple sweet photos from my mom’s early mothering years buried somewhere in my childhood home, and I set my youngest sister to the task of finding some for me. She dug through some boxes in the closet and scanned a couple to send over to me. Two jumped out at me as perfect.
One showed my mom in the hospital with me as a newborn, with my older siblings visiting. This photo floods me with emotion because I, myself, have been in this place. The third child in my arms with the other two coming to meet her. All filled up with excitement and worry. Not knowing how to balance the needs of all three, but willing to try my best and, if nothing else, simply love them. (And my mom went on to have three more babies to juggle and love!)
In the other photo, my mom smiles at my younger brother, fresh from the bath. This image exudes happiness. I can feel the warmth and compassion she has for him. I love the way she looks at him. She still looks at him that same way.
It was simple and wonderful to upload the scanned photos to Art.com using Photos[to]Art, choose beautiful frames and mats, and order the portraits to be delivered right to my door. I kept them minimal, and focused on the photos by choosing sleek, black frames and white linen mats, although there are so many great choices to fit any style. They will be easy for my mom to hang almost anywhere. They’re the perfect portraits of her motherhood.
Of course, I couldn’t stop there. Because of all of her incredible qualities, the one my mom personifies most is unconditional love. She sees beyond what we do, say, or how we act, and simply loves us. She helps and supports us, cheers for, and celebrates us. And not only her own children, but everyone. There is always an extra invitation to the party or seat at the table. She welcomes people into her life with open arms, and makes friends wherever she goes.
As our family has grown up, and each of my siblings has chosen a partner for life, my mom held space for each of these new additions to be as beloved as her own. Last year, my mom planned a trip to Cuba for all of her children and our spouses. With the exception of one brother who couldn’t make it, we all spent a week exploring together.
I love this photo of the family stretched across the beach, and decided to order it as a museum-style stretched canvas to add some modern-day motherhood to this Mother’s Day gift. The frameless style highlights the impactful image, and also makes it really easy to hang on the built-in hardware.
Sometimes the best mother’s day gift is the one she probably won’t get for herself. And since those photos were elbow-deep in a shoebox, and I haven’t seen my mom print a photo (even from a photoshoot!) in a long time, these portraits of her motherhood will be perfect.
So, Mom, are you excited?
I hope these framed photos and canvas remind you of the way you have been an amazing mother. I hope you look at them and know that the love you have been giving to me since I was in your arms that day has given me confidence, helped me learn and make good decisions, taught me generosity and compassion, and showed me what it is to simply love, no matter what.
Thank you for being the best mom I could ask for, and for still showing up for me just the way I need you to. I love you forever.
xo Miranda
