Dear Mom

Dear Mom,
I had no idea just how much you loved me and sacrificed for me until having my own kids. Not that I for one minute ever doubted your love. I just didn’t understand the depth of love that you have for your child. It really is unconditional, beautiful, true love. You told me many times I was your greatest accomplishment. Honestly, I thought that was sorta weird. I get it now. I see now how our every conversation had purpose. You were molding me, directing me, building me. I know through and through though that talk is cheap. You didn’t just tell me how to be, what was important—you modeled it.
Philanthropy

You modeled for me the importance of giving back to our community. I saw you giving countless hours to the Junior League of Seattle. Serving on many boards around town and writing checks. You always have been generous with your time and resources for charity. Thank you for doing that. I never would have imagined that watching you do that would make such an impression on me that I would start my own non-profit. I love the fact that I know my kids will see the importance in it as well. They might not understand that, by getting dragged around to my meetings at the parks, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, etc., they may one day do something philanthropic as well. I know they will though because I watched you and learned it’s just what we do; we give back. We roll up our sleeves and we give of our resources as well. Thank you for teaching me so I can be teaching them. I really feel giving is the best gift. Thank you for instilling that in me.

The Dinner Table
Mom, thank you for making a meal every night. Thank you for insisting on us all sitting down together with no TV at 6:30 sharp. I could always count on a home-cooked meal. Sitting down and hearing about what happened in each of our lives that day. I learned so much about business, decision-making, and how to live a life with strong morals through those conversations. I definitely took away from it a strong sense of right and wrong. I learned the importance of taking the high road. I also learned by watching you how to support your partner. I saw you listening intently. I watched you empathize. I saw you give feedback, but mostly you encouraged. Thank you for modeling that. I’m sorry for complaining about the food you made practically every night. I see now that you took time to prepare that meal. Shop for ingredients and look up recipes. That’s a ton of work. I’m sorry for feeding it to the dog, spitting it in my napkin, and running to the bathroom to spit in the toilet. Did you know I did all that? Thank you for making all those veggies I hated. I did learn it’s what we do. Eating healthy is important, and now, Mom, my kids gulp down green drinks every morning. Thank you for modeling what a healthy, balanced meal looks like.

Hostess with the Mostest
Entertaining has always been a part of our home. I watched you carefully create the perfectly dressed table. I saw how the entire week before a party you would get out your serving pieces, linens, etc. Flowers would be cut and arranged and menus planned. I learned how to walk around and serve guests, take coats, and introduce myself. I saw the way you warmly greeted each guest and made that person feel welcomed and special. Of course, I now love to entertain. Guess what a woman remarked to me this week? She said what an amazing host Hayden was at my last event. She mentioned he took her coat and offered her food and gave her a house tour. He knows because he watched me and I watched you. Thank you for modeling this. Entertaining is a skill. It takes a lot of work to pull together a fabulous party. Here’s the most important thing you taught me about entertaining, though. We don’t just entertain when it’s a party. We entertain every time someone comes to the house. Planned or unplanned. I love the fact that you always have made coffee and cookies for the gardeners on cold days and lemonade on hot days. You would ALWAYS pull together a snack tray when my friends came over. A friend of yours would stop by and instantly cookies were popped in the oven and a beverage was offered. You have a gift for caring for others. You taught me to pay close attention to what people like to eat and drink so you would have it on hand when you knew they were coming over. Mom, I do this now. I pay close attention to what my friends like and don’t like. I remember what they picked in the menu months before. I know what kind of tea my friends prefer and whether they prefer sweet or savory snacks. I care about the people in my life and paying attention to these little details I really think is an interesting way to show that. Thank you for teaching that to me.

The Art of Gift-Giving
For every person’s birthday, you think long and hard about what would be the perfect gift. You are both creative and thoughtful in this. The Christmas season is like preparing for finals. Studying lists, preparing, lots of brainstorming . . . You don’t just get a gift. It has to be just the right thing. Another thing I’ve learned from you: Gifts are such a great way to express that you are thinking of someone. Not that things have to be expensive. Quite the contrary. It’s the thought. A thoughtful gift is a great thing. Thank you for teaching me that. I see Hayden and Pemberley doing this already. They put a lot of time into making a special picture for someone. In general, I’ve learned that being generous is a great thing. Thank you, Mom.

Support
Mom you have supported me in my passions, Dad’s career and passions as well. I’ve never heard you badmouth him. I’ve learned from you that as family we have each other’s backs. I love this. I love our family. Our team. I love doing life together. I won the lotto getting you as my mom. Thank you for your support through thick and thin.
I love you through and through. You are an amazing mom, woman, and role model. Happy Mother’s Day.
Love,
Paige