Happy Mother's Day this weekend to everyone....

For Mother's Day I'd... pick you a flower from my island rose garden...

I'd...bake you one of my mini-cakes and top it with fresh strawberries...

I'd... paint you a watercolor picture from my tiny tea-cart "art studio"...

I'd...play you a tune from my grandfather's violin...

Heck, I'd even... catch you a trout from a mountain stream but... this year, I'll send you all these gifts-of-sentiment and appreciation virtually from my blog here...

Here's wishing my blog readers who are fantastic mothers and grandmothers, fun aunts and faithful big sisters a truly wonderful Mother's Day Weekend ahead!

For someone who is not a mother herself, at times it feels quite odd to be the literal "Matriarch" of my family. I'm the eldest female in our family with my mother and grandmothers and great aunt passed away, no aunts by-blood, no female cousins, no sisters and the nearest female in-line to me being my 9 year old niece. At 38 I unexpectedly and all-too-quickly become the female-head of our household and still now a few years later, this remains a designation and responsibility that can feel overwhelming at times. I have the utmost respect for mothers and mothering after taking this mantle upon my shoulders as our family matriarch and as the full time caregiver of both of my parents. Far less seriously, and far more "me" however is my dual-role of being a "fun aunt", oh yeah! In this I absolutely revel! I love my two nieces and three nephews... and never get tired of being around them.

There are a bevvy of women, especially here locally but also within my family and friends, who I look up to and who provide a big sister or casual-mothering type of relationship to me. Thank you to those of you out there who encourage, advise wisely, listen kindly and laugh loudly with me- I appreciate you more than you probably realize or will ever know.

So here's wishing that all mothering-women have a Happy Mother's Day this coming weekend! :)