Mother's Day Eating Crickets

I think about how bravely my mom put me on a bus and sent me off on a two-hour bus-ride to visit my aunt when I was not much older than my little girl now...

I marvel at her trust in society when she put me on an overnight train to visit my other aunt and cousins over summer holidays before I was a 'tween...

I appreciate her for sending me away to live in a hostel in a different city as I earned my degree and got an education on life and self...

I swell with gratitude when I realize how much it must've taxed her heart to fully support my yearning to go across continents and live in a different culture and be on my own...

Australia was my first dreamy destination that never happened. My mind was filled with McArthur's Universal Corrective Map Of The World, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Today, I am not half as courageous as my mother. I dare not let my kids out of my sight, out into the unknown - yet. I know as they grow older I will learn to let go in some ways...

Not just on Mother's Day but practically every other day, I think of all the choices my mother (and father) made to put their kids' needs ahead of their own, to teach us to trust in our world and reach for the stars...

And, on a particular Sunday, when asked how I'd like to spend the day, it was easy for me to choose an activity that kids would enjoy as much as I did: beach-hopping!

Many pristine beaches abound the Oregon coast - uncluttered, quaint, peaceful...

We chose the less popular spots around Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Nehalem, Garibaldi...

...combed the beach for sand dollars and agate; played in tide pools near barnacle-encrusted rocks...

...found a Nandi shaped rock formation...

...had a picnic lunch...

...browsed at Beach Crafters and The Frugal Crow with Ana while the boys sat and watched the Coastal Excursion train chug by...

...and snack time found us walking into the cliched saltwater taffy and ice cream store by the beach and coming out munching on protein-packed crickets with added flavor (and no saltwater taffy or ice cream)!

As we headed home after a long day, I tried not to dwell on my less desirable traits that the kids are inadvertently picking up; I tried not to jump ahead to the next day and worry about things that have not happened yet; I tried not to think about the agonizing origins of Mother's day or the commercialization surrounding it; I tried not to feel uncomfortable about a day that focuses on the maternal role - however that is defined: birth, adoptive, step - a nurturing role which sustains the next generation through sheer love and commitment that goes beyond rewards or accolades.

Instead, I focused on the coupon Ana gave me that morning for a Free Arts & Crafts Lesson with her, and the card Og made for me as I sipped coffee in bed. Mundane things. Made precious through their simplicity.