mother's day project 2009

canon digital rebel xsi

It is hard to explain - what I refer to as the Mother's Day Project. It literally started with needing something to do with my rage and pity that seemed to seep out on Mother's Day, after my mother was gone.

It is hard to explain how it feels to be bombarded by ads in email, on television, the radio, the Internet, the highway, etc. about a day that no longer seems relevant to you. Part of me wanted to scream, while another part wanted to lock myself away until it was over. It was really weird too, since I didn't have such powerful emotions around father's day, but maybe that has more to say about how society feels about fathers.

At any rate, the hiding and the screaming ideas just weren't working. So I decided to divert my energy. The first year, I sent 3 or 4 cards to my friends who were moms. It gave me something to focus on. I bought the cards.

The next year I did the same, adding a few more moms to the list. Again, I didn't make the cards. At some point, I figured it would be very expensive to send store bought cards to everyone that I wanted to, and I also wanted to make it more personal. And so the idea of sending postcards came about, using my own photographs.

There was a year I didn't do it. And then the next year, the list of recipients grew. Now the list is just shy of one hundred. They go all over the world. I think that is the most amazing thing.

Despite thinking about this year's project 35 days ago, I sent them all out on Friday at 5pm. Most won't arrive on Mother's Day, but that's okay. I do my best. That's all I can do.

To some, I am sure it seems silly. Why go to the trouble and the expense? It keeps me off the streets and out of trouble. But it is also a way to honor my Mother, and the mothers I know. I may not be a mother, but I get the importance of the job. I get that all mothers need support. That's what the day is about after all.


on the night stand :: The Mercy Papers: A Memoir of Three Weeks by Robin Romm.