Last week, while we enjoyed lunch with my mother-in-law, my husband mentioned Mother’s Day. His mom’s eyes lit up; she loves parties. The two decided it should be celebrated at our house. My husband’s handy in the kitchen and I’ve often told him since I’m not his mother, please concentrate on her. She won’t be with us forever.
A lovely visit with my mother-in-law.
Some wives might come unglued if their husbands didn’t put on a big show for them alone. Is there something wrong with me? Now, if my sons sent me a card or brought flowers, I’d be thrilled.
For me, Mother’s Day weaves threads of joy and sadness. My mother died in her sixties, way too young. Many women desperately long to be mothers but can’t. I recently read several poignant stories and articles in that little Amish magazine Family Life about the subject.
Two of my friends have lost their only child. Would Mother’s Day be fun for them? I wrote my book, Forever Amish, about a woman who was abandoned by her mother. It happens.
On the other hand, several acquaintances have chosen not to have children.
Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world, I assumed the Amish celebrate it, but to make sure I contacted two Amish friends. The woman in Lancaster County said yes, but “It’s not a holiday.”
“Oh my YES!” was my friend in Northern Indiana’s answer. “We take them out shopping, give a gift, and just whatever…” She added, “I am Old Order, so maybe the Swartzentruber Amish wouldn’t do as much.” (more conservative.)
Mothers with their children on an adventure.
How about you? Are you eagerly awaiting Mother’s Day or is it simply a Hallmark Holiday you’d just as soon skip? As an author, I can think of a dozen scenarios where Mother’s Day wouldn’t be a jubilant occasion. On the other hand, I’m sure it will be festive for many, including my mother-in-law.
Amish-made Oven Mitts from Lancaster County.
Leave a short comment to enter to win these two Amish-made Potholders I thought would make a great Mother’s Day gift (or keep them yourself) and a signed copy of one novel from the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy! USA & Canada. Winner has 3 days to respond.
The 6th anniversary of my mom’s passing will be May 12 and I miss her so much. However, I would sure enjoy the oven mitts. 🙂
I live with my only daughter & my grand daughter, so everyday is special. But I celebrate with them. My grand daughter is blind & is especially loving & loves life. There is never a dull moment. I also look forward to hearing from my other 6 grandchildren. Thank you
Thanks for writing & entering the giveaway, Karen!
I can empathize, Mary Jane. My mother’s memory travels with me throughout the day. Thanks for entering the giveaway! Good luck!
Mother’s day is just another day to me. When my 3 kids were in school, they would always make something, or plant some seeds and have a flower. Now that they are grown, I get nothing. My husband always seems to be working, so we can never do anything. My mother is getting up there in years and she has a hard time reading and writing, so there is nothing from her anymore, but I do make sure that I send her a card. I’ve never gotten anything from my mother in-law, but that is par for the course. She does send cards to her 2 daughter’s and 3 other daughter in-laws, but not me. I get left out of everything.
In that case, may I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day, Tina! It’s pretty much just like any other day for me too, unless my husband plans something. The fact that the party will be in honor of my mother-in-law is fine with me. Thanks for writing and entering the give away!
I really am not one to celebrate holidays. With my Mother gone now for 7 years it is hard. To me I am not fond of holidays. I could care less if my girls celebrate Mother’s Day for me or not.
A practical approach, Melissa! Thanks for entering to give away. Good luck!
Both my mother and mother-in-law are gone now and I have no children, so I would rather get through Mother’s Day as a regular Sunday as I miss my mother very much.
You are not alone, Rachel! I am always pleased when the pastor does not mention mothers on Mother’s Day, in respect to people in your situation. Thank you for writing. Good luck!
I used to be big on mothers day. Since the suicide deaths of my husband and my father …not so much. For my mother’s sake …this year I will.
Bless you, Mary, for honoring your mother on what will be no doubt a very difficult day for her. And for you. I appreciate your comment and wish you all the best. Good luck in the giveaway!
My sweet mother is gone, but my two kiddos do everything to make the day special for me.
How wonderful that you are blessed with two kiddos, Karen! Sounds as though you will celebrate a special day! Thanks for entering the giveaway!
My mother is also gone but never forgotten. My daughter makes every day a Mother’s Day for me. She is my gift from God.
Your daughter sounds like a gem, Barb. She is a gift from God! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
I miss my mom daily and shes been gone for 23 years now, She was my rock. We use to go places and spend day after day together. My dad passed when he was 56, I was just 18, and after his passing suddenly, my mom was so lost and seeing i’m the only girl they had out of 6 children, her and I were pretty much good friends.
You sound like me, Kathy! I miss my mom every day, too. How wonderful that she had such a marvelous daughter. Thanks for entering the give away!
My Mom can get on my nerves sometimes, but I am so blessed to have her in my life!
I think everyone’s mother can get on her child’s nerves sometimes, Hannah! I absolutely adored my mother, but there were times … Thanks for entering the giveaway!
My mom died five years ago. I remember ruining one of her days because I had fallen on some bleachers and seriously hurt myself. I would be in life saving surgery the next day. I really miss her. We will probably just be low keyed on that day. We will honor my mother in law the following weekend along with her 80th birthday. We live a few hours away from her.
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mom, Donita! I still miss my mother too and have reminders of her all over the house. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
I am very fortunate to have 4 boys who do still celebrate me on Mother’s Day. I believe they learned it from my husband because he always made it a big deal.
What a great man you married, Margaret! Your husband was an excellent role model. Thanks for writing and good luck!
I would love to be able to spend Mothers Day with my mom. She has been gone since I was 19 years old. She was only 60 when she passed. That was 41 years ago. People don’t realize what they have to still have their moms.
I agree, Linda! I hear people complaining about their mothers and wish mine were still alive. Thanks for writing and good luck in the giveaway!
This would be so nice
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Fern!
I love the oven mitts! And I love your books. I have read the first two…would enjoy the third, as well. Thanks for these fun drawings!
Thank you so much for entering, Laura! And for reading the first two books in the Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy. Good luck!
The oven mitts are just beautiful! I love reading your books too! I live with my mom and my son and she and I could share the mitts and the books. What a great Mother’s day that would be for both of us!
That would be a marvelous Mother’s Day, Amy! Thank you for entering to giveaway and good luck!
My mother is no longer with us she passed 6 years my 4 sister’s and I would always have a family get together for her. I have 2 children and 9 grandchildren, and no get together, so this year one of my sister’s and her husband and me and my husband is going on a vacation together to South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. We should have a blast.
Your upcoming vacation sounds terrific, Marsha! I know you’ll have fun. Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
I still have my Mom but her health is failing and she does not want to be here – she wants to be with my Dad, it is so sad. Some days are a struggle. I miss my Mom! My Mom was a strong person who always did her own thing now she is dependent, needy, diva, grumpy, unhappy, complaining, and in constant pain … I simply wish her peace. I have not read any of your works in a while but this post caught my eye – I will have to catch up with you again – always enjoyed your books – so many books so little time to read!!! Love the Mitts they are so pretty! Thank you for the post.
I’m sorry to hear you’re walking through that difficult valley, Connie, and for your mother’s frustration and pain. I also wish her peace. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway!
It is sweet that you and your mother-in law are so close that you would let her be honored each year instead of you! It takes a special person to do that and you are a special person!
You are very kind, Sheila! I do get along with my mother-in-law extremely well, which makes life so much more fun. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
I still have my mom, who is now 86 and the caretaker of my father. I appreciate every day.
I appreciate your sharing this wonderful news with me, Sonya! Yay! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
I am so blessed to still have my Mom with me although we live a good ways apart. My mother-in-law died several years ago. I do have 5 children all of which still live at home so Mother’s Day is usually spent with my family going to church. Overall, it is just like any other day. I try to cherish every moment I get to spend with my children knowing one day they won’t be with me as much. My favorite part of Mother’s Day is reading the sweet words my kids write on their homemade cards and such. They can make me feel so much more loved and appreciated than any expensive gift ever could.
I’d adore those homemade cards too, Tiffany! Your children sound like sweethearts! Thanks for entering the giveaway!
I can see myself pulling things out of the over using these. They are pretty. On another note I think my mom has asbestos fingers. After something comes out of the oven, if it isn’t sitting to her liking she can straighten it no potholders needed. Ouch!
Wow, your mom is tougher than I am! Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
My mom has been gone for several years, but I celebrate my daughter. She is a wonderful young woman who is raising three little girls on her own , and doing a wonderful job.
How delightful, Rita, to have a lovely daughter and three little granddaughters! I’d be celebrating too. Good luck in the giveaway!
My mom as been gone 25 years this year and so wish I still had her and my mother in law. I do get honored by my children in different ways. I looked forward to Mother’s Day almost more than my birthday. Son-in-law usually does cook out for his mom, me and my daughter. Love it.
Mother’s Day sounds like a wonderful celebration for you, Julia! Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm. Good luck in the giveaway!
my 5 kids (all adults now) always try to make Mother’s Day special for me. We also try to make it special for my 88 year old Mom. With her severe dementia she won’t remember on Monday. But the day we spend together will make her happy.
You must have been a wonderful mom to have five adult children trying to make you happy on Mother’s Day, Anne! I’m glad you can bring some happiness to your mother, even if it’s soon forgotten. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
I would love to win!
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Susan!
So pretty! would look nice in my Blue kitchen 🙂
Happy Mothers Day !
Yes, they would look pretty in a blue kitchen, Deanna! Happy Mother’s Day to you and good luck in the giveaway!
This year I’m off from work Mothers’s Day! Yay! My husband, daughter & I will be going to brunch at the West Point Club. So looking forward to it.
Your Mother’s Day sounds like a wonderful event, Susan! My best wishes to you!
My mom is still with me,thank God.I don’t even want to think about her not being.She is getting up in age and has some health issues and I treasure every day we get to spend together.We spend Mother’s Day together and I take her out to eat to her favorite restaurant .She has always went out of her way to help me ,and I appreciate everything she has done for me.She is my mom but she is also my best friend.
You are so wise to take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with your mother, Jackie! Sounds as if you two have a rare bond that little else can replace. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
My daughter always wants to do something for me on Mother’s Day, but it makes me feel uncomfortable as she is a mother too! When my mom was still alive, we would all gather on the Saturday before and focus the day on her. This year my Maggie said we were treating ourselves to a pedicure! That way we both will have fun and enjoy! If mom were alive, we would wheel her in for one too! The only pedicure she ever had, Maggie and I took her!
Maggie has come up with a wonderful idea for both of you, Virginia! I’d love a fabulous daughter like her. Good luck in the giveaway!
Mom passed away last fall and my husband’s mother no longer cooks. My daughter is a wonderful single Mom of two and she loves to cook. She would adore these potholders (I do too)!
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mother, Vickie. Your daughter sounds terrific. Plus, to grandkids. Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
I dont have any kids and my mama passed away in 1995 and the holidays has been hard on me . i would love to win this thanks and God bless you.
Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway, Ida! Good luck and God bless you too!
Hi, Kate — haven’t caught up with you for a while, but I enjoy your fb posts and pretty pictures. I would love to win the oven mitts (I’m building a new house, so I need new STUFF) but you know I already have all of your books, so I would want you to give the book to somebody else. Hope to see you at the Alumni Luncheon in June?
Good to hear from you, Carol! Absolutely, a new house needs new oven mitts. How exciting. I figure many people who enter already have my books, which they may use as gifts. Perfect!
My mom passed away several years ago and I still miss her . I would live to win your oven mitts andcyourcbook . Thanks for the chance .
lizd225(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Liz! Good luck! Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your mom. I miss mine too.
Kate, my mother in law lives two states away but I always make sure to get her a new flowering plant. My mom died 5 years ago and I wish I could have one more day with her!
I feel the same way, Debbie. One more day would be the greatest gift. A flowering plant for your mother-in-law sounds like an excellent gift. Good luck in the giveaway!
Wow! Reading the comments above, it’s interesting how painful Mother’s Day is for most of us! How did it become such a big holiday! I will miss being with my mom this year as she lives in Ark. and I’m in PA and I will have surgery the Thurs. after Mother’s Day. It’s the first I’ve missed spending with her in quite some time…her 88th birthday is the day before. I don’t have children of my own and it is uncomfortable at church when mother’s are recognized and asked to stand and I sit there! So since I won’t be with my mom this year I will stay home with my fur-baby and my hubby will bring home lunch. I shower my mom with attention all year and don’t wait for one day to tell her how special she is to me. Thanks for the opportunity to win…always fun giveaways!
Thanks for writing, Linda! When our pastor asks war veterans to stand on Veteran’s Day, I love it. But Mother’s Day? Not a good idea, in my opinion. Although praying for each other’s needs is always appropriate. How wonderful that your mother is 88! I rejoice in that! Good luck in the giveaway and may you recover from your surgery quickly!
My husband and I go to our oldest son’s house for breakfast with his family and my grandkids usually make something special for me. Then we travel north to our youngest son’s home and have a cookout with them. They usually give me plants for my garden. I just love the day doing things with the family. It always is special from other days we get together. My mom passed 26 years ago, she was only 59 and I still miss her. Thanks for the chance to win and hope you have a very Happy Mother’s Day!
It sounds as though you have a Happy Mother’s Day planned, Deborah! I can’t think of anything more fun. My mother also died at about the same age, and I still miss her too every day. Good luck in the giveaway!
The mitts are beautiful and would match the colors in my kitchen and I would love to have the book as I am an avid Amish book reader!
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Joan! I’d love to have you read one of my books and win the oven mitts. Good luck!
I would love to be chosen to receive the pot holders and a copy of your new book! It would make me have a great Mother’s Day. I would share the book with my Mom!
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Cindy! I wish you good luck and also a fun time with your mother!
My mom is the greatest. She is 85 and has low vision, but still lives on her own and does all of her cooking, cleaning, etc. on her own. My dad died 21/2 years ago and I know she gets lonely. The green in the potholders is the same green as in her kitchen. She would love them. I would read the book aloud on tape. I’ve done that before — then she can listen and doesn’t have to worry about the low vision. I love your books! 🙂
Your mother sounds terrific, Rhinda! It would be so much fun if you won these potholders for her and read my book aloud. I have several friends who read aloud to their mothers, a huge gift. Thanks for your kind words about my writing. Good luck in the giveaway!
Any day that I get to see my kids makes me feel special. Nothing better than being with my family.
Thanks for the chance to win! God Bless.
I’m delighted to hear you have great kids and wonderful relationships, Donna! Sounds as though God has blessed you many-fold. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
My mom has been gone for fifteen years. I miss her very much. The oven mitts are beautiful. I love reading your books.
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway, Diane! I still miss my mother daily, but have moved on to acceptance. Not that I like it. Good luck and happy Mother’s Day to you!
Very pretty!
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Donna! Good luck!
My mom is no longer with us as she passed away in 2009 from a medical error in a hospital ( wrong heart medication given to her that belonged to ghe lady in the next room) I would love these one for my daughter as she was very close and the only books I read are Amish books so I would love to win. Thank u from the bottom of my heart happy mothers day to u
Happy Mother’s Day to you, Vicky! Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother, but happy to know you have a daughter. And the only books you read our Amish? Terrific! Good luck!
Would love to win. I’d keep the book and give the mitts to my sister who is a great cook and has been my support since our mom passed away.
Thanks for writing, Joyce! Your sister sounds wonderful. And I’d love it if you read one of my books. Good luck in the giveaway!
i would love to win this
Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway, Valerie! Good luck!
My Mama has been gone 11 years now. I still miss her.
Sounds as though you had a wonderful mother, Ola! I still miss mine too. Good luck in the giveaway!
Mothers Day is special to me! I still have my mother and I love her very much! She will be 80 in November but her mind is still great! I also have 2 daughters that I love very much that lives close by. I get to see my grandchildren often. But we do have one sadness. My oldest daughter had a 9 pound baby girl that was stillborn 11 yrs ago. We still grieve over our baby Savannah! But we are thankful for the 3 children she does have. Have a Happy Mother’s Day!
I can certainly see why Mother’s Day is special to you, Brenda! An abundance to be thankful for. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway!
Our mother is gone on to heaven, but we have wonderful memories to recall on Mother;s Day.
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Nora! Good luck! I’ll be recalling my mom on Mother’s Day too. Fond memories I hold dear.
What a great giveaway and honor a mother or a friend…. I love your giveaways and these potholders are pretty.
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Andrea! Good luck!
I would love to win the oven mitts to give my mom. She doesn’t do a lot of cooking any longer but does still like to bake once in a while. She will be turning 88 in a couple of months. I’m sure I would enjoy reading any of the books also as I love Amish fiction!
How wonderful that you still have your mom at almost 88, Donna! Thanks for entering the giveaway. I’d love you to read one of my books!