Mother's Day is a celebration for that wonderful lady in all of our lives who taught us how to be the best that we can be. When I think back to what I experiences as a mother having my own mother there for moral support, I wonder how she succeeded with no mother to turn to. She often spoke wistfully of her own mother and how she missed her wisdom and kindness, but what was unsaid was that at times, my mother felt very alone. She only admitted that fact when she became older and quite ill. And so, dear readers, no matter who she is, this is the day to be thankful that she is here, and although you may disagree on many things, she did sing nursery songs to you, jump up and down when you took your first step, and perhaps shed a proud tear as you left for school the first time. For that lady, we have a light, but beautiful luncheon, for Mother's Day.
We suggest that if you have siblings that you plan a day of it, or perhaps a weekend if you're scattered around the country. Some years this worked; others it didn't, but when it did, it made for a family reunion with fond memories. This is a good time to decorate the house with old pictures and dig out picture albums. Buy geraniums to be replanted outside after the luncheon for a centerpiece and be prepared to give your mom a rose for each child and grandchild she has. Of course, if there are too many of these to be affordable, try for one perfect long stem rose and a small gift.
Everything you see in the pictures means something to our family. My grandmother loved hydrangeas and my mother, geraniums. We have both. My mother's favorite marble statue stands next to pictures of four generations of mothers in our family. A small pin cushion carried by a young grandmother on her trip from Europe is a treasure to be handed down to the next generation. French crystal is set out with the whimsical Mexican figures brought back from a trip, and actually found in my late mother's closet with other gifts.
One thing we used to do was have young grandchildren paint or draw a portrait of themselves with grandma, and frame them in fabric frames or store-bought frames if time gets short. When the children got older, they would come up with their own ideas for NaNa who was adored by all. As we, her children got older, and more affluent, our gifts were combined into one thing we knew Mom would enjoy, but not indulge in normally. One year, we sent her to a day at a spa, another it was a make-over at the hottest salon in New York City, another a weekend with Dad and so on. No need to worry if you can't do those things, in our family history we also cleaned closets with her in command, took her to a special art show we knew Dad wasn't keen on, polished silver until our collective hands were blackened, and dressed as wait staff for a dinner catered by us for our parents and their friends.
Now down to the style of this luncheon. Our mom was a formal lady and so we always used silver, fine china, and crystal (after all, most of it is her taste), but if your mother is more informal, use what will please her. We have taken out silver and crystal serving pieces, many of which were hers or her mother's before, and used them to hold flower pots. The table is decorated with small mementos of our grandmother who emigrated from Austria before the turn of the century, and of our mother who collected antiques and shared with all of her children with great love.
The luncheon is planned for two hours so that those with small children can get in afternoon naps, but to tell the truth for me, two hours was never enough. Before hand, I would warn my mom that the children would be putting on a short and silly skit for her, that cameras would flash to record members, and a small book would follow with these pictures, and that she would be expected to tell some stories about her childhood so that the family, with the next generation in tow, would get to know people who were no longer with us and place them in their hearts as they were in hers.
This is a fun day of laughter, good memories of the past and future, and family. With many families living miles apart, and all of us, from the oldest to the youngest programmed from morning to night day after day, how can we not use the this day as an excuse to be together for at least a while?
The menu for this elegant luncheon is vegetarian. With protein intake restricted for people with diabetes, we though we'd prove to all our readers that eating healthy carbohydrate meals can be delicious and as festive as you could ever imagine. And remember, there's always dinner to come later on.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
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