On Mother's Day [1] in 1997, my sister, Ella, eagerly ran into my parents bedroom to wake my mom up with her DIY Mother's Day crafts [2] (she was only 7, after all) and breakfast-in-bed [3], which probably consisted of a Pop-Tart and some fruit juice. Unfortunately for Ella, she was greeted instead by my father who informed her that my mom was at the hospital, having just given birth to me, her adorable (if I do say so myself) baby sister. Instead of being thrilled, Ella was mostly just upset that my mom wasn't around to get her Mother's Day [4] surprise. From that day forward, no breakfast in bed could top the best Mother's Day Gift ever: Me (as I would come to remind her for all the years to come).
Being born on Mother's Day immediately created a unique bond between me and my mom. It can be difficult to be born on or near certain holidays, such as December babies who have to share their spotlight with Christmas. And when I was younger, I often wanted my birthday to be about me. As I got older, I realised how special it was that my mom and I could share an important day like that — and how rare it was to be able to say I was born on Mother's Day. Although my birthday doesn't fall on Mother's Day every year, we've always made it a priority to make the time of year special for both of us. What makes it even more fun is we can justify making big plans since our family celebrates us both at the same time.
Most years we have a big Mother's Day and birthday lunch [6] outside on the deck with our family that often includes lobster and chocolate cake; two of our absolute favourite things to eat. Some years we'll take a trip to an island off the coast of Maine to spend the day with our family in the sunshine, where we ride bikes and go to the beach. In 2019, I graduated college on my birthday, and the next day was Mother's Day, so the two of us flew to Florida after my graduation to spend the week at Universal Studios together. Sharing this day with my mom gives us an excuse to spend extra time together and to make big plans that celebrate us both. This time of year always facilitates opportunities to bond closer and to appreciate that we have each other. I've found as an adult, it can be difficult to express how much people mean to us and how lucky we feel to have certain people in our lives. Celebrating my birthday and Mother's Day in the same weekend gives my mother and I the opportunity to really show each other how much we value our relationship. It's truly brought us closer and gives us a special bond [7] that not many can say they share.
May has become a really significant time for me and my Mother. In early May is my birthday, Mother's Day, the time of year that she and I graduated college just four years apart, and the anniversary of when she beat breast cancer [8]. The first two weeks in May has always given us so much to celebrate together and so much to be thankful for. Despite all the pain and unknown in the world right now, this still stands true, and my family still has so much to celebrate this May. With things like social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place right now, our celebration will look a little different. Our plan for this year is to order a cake and get takeout from a local business and enjoy some quality time together outside. Regardless of all the unknown, I'm honoured to share such a special day with my mom and see it as a gift for both of us.