Just one day?

Being a mom is the best--and hardest--job I've ever had.  In constant pursuit of "getting it right," the best I seem to do most days is muddle through.  Just this week, my daughter came to me with questions about friends and how/why relationships change over time.  I don't have the answers, despite having officially reached Adulthood many moons ago.  You'd think I would have these things figured out by now.

This year, Mother's Day falls near the end of the academic semester, a time where students have varying degrees of dissatisfaction with their performance, my performance, University policies, their parents, and the world.  I've been thinking about how we see people in a specific role (mother or teacher, for example) without really seeing them at all.  Every student, professor, parent, and child has similar needs, wants, and struggles.  And it's so easy to forget.

We set aside one day each year to honor our mothers, when the job they do is all-consuming for close to 20 years, if not longer; it's not nearly enough recognition.  I wonder what would happen if we set aside an entire day (perhaps randomly and frequently) to really see the people around us and treat them--including our mothers--with the respect and kindness we all want? 

That's probably a good answer to some of my daughter's questions.  Thanks, Mom.