Every Mothers' Day

I was so excited, you guys.  I was going to be celebrating American Mother's Day with my mom.  Last Sunday I gave her a big hug and the customary greeting and she was all, "Thanks, sweetie, but it's next Sunday."  Yeah.  If we were in the same place today I'd take her to breakfast, but only if that place were America because breakfast is totally slammin' there and it's not so hot here.  Literally.  They eat cold sandwiches for breakfast.  So since I can't do the breakfast thing I thought I'd honor her with a donation to CARE via Every Mother Counts, an organization that aims to help prevent the hundreds of thousands of annual deaths of women and girls during pregnancy and childbirth.  My mother could have very possibly died while giving birth to me, but was able to become my mother due to access to modern medicine and the ability to deliver in a safe, sterile and reachable environment.  Jamie's birth, while long, was uncomplicated and low-risk but I cannot imagine having had to do it without drugs, outside of a hospital, or even alone as many of the world's women do.  It's easy for us to take these things for granted, the same way we often take our moms for granted, so today I'm going to try to remember how lucky we are to be alive to be mothers and to be extra grateful for the fact that I got to give mine a hug in person this year.  Just a week early.