Mother's Day Morning! a stage play by Mom. Based on a true story. :-)

( Mother wakes to the sound of her family coming up the stairs and singing.) "Happy Mother's Day to you......Happy Mother's Day to you....Happy Mother's Day dear Ma-om...Happy Mother's Day to you......."

Sleeping Mother smiles and pulls herself to a sitting position as the door opens.

Enter, three beaming faces with a tray of breakfast (eggs, muffins and OJ) and presents wrapped in tissue paper and black electric tape. (Mom's heart warms immediately) The three beaming children chant, "Open presents! Open presents!"

Enter Dad...messy hair, tired eyes, but with traces of blue berry muffin dough on his shirt...(Mom's heart warms a little more) " No girls," Dad says kindly, "let's let Mom eat her breakfast first." " Time is of the essence."

Mom begins eating while three kids, (who had visited the neighbors garage sale the previous day) bounce with anticipation.

(Dad leaves the room momentarily and returns with the baby.)

Enter Baby Jack (age: 7 1/2 months. An adorable bouncing baby boy who brings insurmountable joy to his family). Fresh from a recent diaper change from Dad..(another small Mother's Day gift from Dad) Jack is all smiles and baby babble. He's also excited to see the plate of food in Mom's lap. Dad starts giving Jack pieces of blue berry muffin (slightly larger than Mom feels comfortable with...but guesses it's ok) and Mom continues eating. (dear readers....I am sorry that the large muffin pieces will not lead to a choking climax in our play...I only mentioned it because I remember thinking it. I am trying to be authentic in my character development. :-)

On with our Day......

Finally, Mother takes pity on the sweet anxiously awaiting children and opens a present. The first gift is from Casie. (age:11 a thoughtful child who has a desire to choose the right and be kind to others) From Casie, Mom receives a pot of beautiful fake flowers...(but with real dirt) and a delicate porcelain pitcher. (Mom's heart warms even more knowing that her daughter picked this treasure out while thinking of her. She also knows that she spent her own money on the gift)

Next, Annie (age:8 a deeply curious and tender soul who delights in service to others) gives her gift to Mom. After removing the tissue paper and black tape, an elegant blue glass jar shaped like a goose is revealed to Mom. Annie proclaims that "it's for your jewelry." (Mom's heart warms even more when she sees the proud beaming brown eyes of her sweet eight year old. Mom knows that later, after everyone but Annie has left the room, Annie will quietly ask her which present she liked the best. Mom knows that her answer will be "hmmmm, let me think...OH! of course it HAS to be the blue glass goose." Annie will smile and think to herself, "I thought so."

Now Ellie, (age: almost 6. An energetic happy girl who loves to socialize and is very loving... And who had also insisted on being last) hands Mom a gift. Mom doesn't open it right away, but starts feeling it and trying to guess what it is. "Hmmm..it has a handle...and a hollow middle,... and it feels just like a......" (opens the present)...."Watering can!" Ellie grins sheepishly. Mom laughs as she tells Dad and the other sisters the conversation she and Ellie had the day before...(right after Ellie had come home from the garage sale and hid something in her room.) Their conversation went like this:

Ellie: wow...I'm thirsty
Mom: well, how about you get a drink of water...
Ellie: (urgently) "Don't say that!"
Mom: (surprised) "Say what?"
Ellie: "Water! It will make you guess what your Mother's day present is! It's a WA.....WA.....WA....(pause)...it's a watering can."

The sisters and Dad laugh, and Ellie gets a shy yet mischievous smile on her face and looks down adorably.

The last gift is from Dad. It's wrapped in art paper and decorated by Annie and Ellie. (it also has black electric tape keeping it together. Mom tries to not feel guilty for not having tape in the house when her family needed it. But then she remembered that they used to have scotch tape, but the kids used it to make "toilet paper people" ....."A creative and good use of tape" she thinks, and decides that the black electric tape is VERY endearing) Dad gives Mom a wonderful camera and they spend the rest of the morning taking pictures of the kids.

But wait...let us not pass over the sweetest part of this Mother's Day Morn. After the breakfast is eaten, the presents are opened and the hugs of gratitude are given, the three sweet girls stand on the foot of the bed and sing Mom this Mother's day song:

Like sunshine in the morning that wakens day from night,
Like flowers in the springtime so colorful and bright,
Like happy songs of bluebirds that fill the air with cheer,
A person bright and lovely is my mother dear.


The three girls sing so sweetly and so beautifully that tears start to form in Mom's eyes. She is so grateful for the the four sweet children who made it possible for her to be named Mother.

I love you so much Casie, Annie, Ellie and Jack! Thanks for the wonderful day. You really are the best children in the world. I am so lucky to have you. Also thanks to my sweet husband for everything you do to make my life as "Mother " so wonderful and happy.