Articles will be archived after a time, allowing you to look back and find an informative or inspirational subject.

May 2008

A Mother's Day reflection for mothers and daughters

by Joyce Haberkorn
Marketing Director

It's a popular article in the newspapers and women's magazines - a familiar rendition about women who are the sandwich generation, caring for children and aging parents simultaneously. The point of most articles is to remind the younger women to pamper themselves - whether it's a regularly scheduled massage or a daily walk.

In honor of Mother's Day let's look again at the sandwich generation story from another perspective. Statistics show that women outlive men, and daughters are drawn back to mothers more intimately after their mothers become widows. We see them together at the grocery store, the doctor's office and church. They go to brunch and funerals together.

Most daughters will tell you, however, that contrary to the idea that all of this is another source of stress to be dealt with - it is an opportunity to spend precious hours in the company of one another. It's a chance to listen to stories of the childhood that molded Mom into the woman she is - to hear the joy in her voice as she talks about life during earlier years - the young woman who prayed and waited patiently for her soldier to return from a world war.

For some mothers, memories are clouded, and the opportunity is sharing whatever the day or the moment brings - the enjoyment of a flowering tree, a favorite song, or the touch of a hand.

Happy Mother's Day to the daughters who have stepped back into their mother's lives during these years, and to all the mothers who continue to face each day with courage and grace. May you learn from one another, and treasure the joy of renewed relationships.