Since May is traditionally the month when we honor Our Lady, we still have two days left to do something that will make her smile.
May I propose that we round out Mary’s month by doing something extra special for our own moms in her honor?
These wonderful women likely didn’t get celebrated nearly enough as they deserved to on Mother’s Day.
Not sure what you can do for your mom in these remaining days of May? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Clean your room
Want to make your mom’s day? Clean your room. Do a really good job. Vacuum, including all the little stuff that gathers in the corners, and under your bed, too.
Open the windows.
Fluff the pillows.
Deal with that towering stack of paperwork and, if you do nothing else, take those not-quite-right clothes back to the store before the return window expires!
Make your bed, then snap a pic and send it to your mom.
I don’t care how old you are. It will make her day. And she will also personally take credit for your good character, as she should.
Say something nice to your siblings
Another way to make your mom smile is to pay your sibling a compliment.
A real one, not like, “You look so much nicer today than you usually do!” Or, “Seeing you made my day . . . much worse!”
No, say something genuinely kind to your brother or sister.
Like, “I’m so grateful you’re my brother.” Or, “God knew I needed a sister just like you.” Your sibling might even be so surprised that they tell your mom about it.
Give Mom a call
Remember some selfless act of generosity that your mom did for you? Like that one time she brought you your baseball cleats you left at home minutes before the opening pitch?
Or when she made two dozen cupcakes at midnight for the bake sale you neglected to tell her about?
Or how she overlooked when you forgot to clean your room for twelve years?
You should pick up the phone, give her a call, and thank her for that. Thank her for staying up with you when you were sick, for never missing one of your calls now that you’re an adult, and for making your kids feel like the most special people on the planet.
And don’t you dare think for a second that your mom loves you any less because you’re not a child anymore. She thinks about you every day. Let her know that you’re thinking of her too.
Make her a coupon book
Your younger self was on to a genius idea with the coupon book, a stack of “good for one” chores and hugs. The only problem was, you gave it to your mom thirty years too soon.
Let’s be honest: That “good for one breakfast in bed” was terrible, all burnt toast and spilled coffee.
Try making one this year with all your grown-up skills and abilities: Like “good for one tech support call” or “good for one tax return preparation” or “good for one garage cleanout, home rewiring, or favor called into the city streets division.”
We can do stuff now and have connections! Let’s work a little magic for our moms, who have been making things happen for us since day one.
Ask Mary to embrace our moms who have gone before us
And for those whose moms are no longer with us, let’s ask Mary to draw them into her embrace and pray that they may be in eternal, sweet repose with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We can offer the Mass, Rosaries, or other sacrifices on behalf of those who showered us with countless acts of tender love, praying that they might finally be ensconced in the never-ending love of the Trinity and that, God-willing, we might join them there one day.
The springtime flowers remind us of the beauty of Mary’s soul, who was the first to receive Our Lord with a heart full of love.
Our own moms welcome the Lord into our world through every act of love they show their children and communities. Let’s help them beautify the world even more through their smiles today.
Let’s also bring a smile to Our Lady, and maybe even to our sibling, whose impromptu visit probably did actually make our day.
Meg Matenaer is a wife, mom, social media writer, and author residing in the Diocese of Madison.