We often struggle with what to give for Mother's Day.

I have given my mom a lot of useless things and she always seemed pleased. She deserves an Oscar for that kind of acting.

No matter what we give mom it cannot match what she's given us É life.

Mother's Day gifts can be challenging, but chances are mom will love it and will use it until it falls apart.

One year I gave my angel mother a boondoggle key chain I made at scout camp. It was dorky and I didn't even make it right, but it didn't matter, she used it for several years until the incorrectly woven plastic threads fell apart.

I also made a wooden broom holder in scouts that somehow became a Mother's Day present. To this day it hangs on the wall above her back steps.

My older brother made mom a leather purse and she bragged about it everywhere she went for years. The handles were broken and patched several times and the stitching came out before it was replaced.

The point is, whether it's something dorky like a boondoggle key chain or beautiful, like an ornately decorated leather purse, mom will be happy that it's from you.

Moms play a significant role in the creation process ... just in case you didn't already know.

The miracle/marathon that is known as pregnancy is unbelievable. The many ways that the body will change to fit the needs of the baby is more than I can comprehend, but I have learned this: that the mother's organs (liver, spleen, kidneys, etc.) actually move to accommodate the growing baby inside the womb. Amazing.

I am no doctor and I've not spent a night in a Holiday Inn for at least 2 two years but moving organs? That is insane.

This is all happening right now as we are expecting a baby girl at the end of the month.

Even more crazy is that my lovely wife has mentioned that she is excited for the next baby. What makes a person willingly suffer those types of maladies and not grudgingly, but happily ... time and time again?

Moms sacrifice themselves to give us life, then they sacrifice their lives to make our lives better. What can we give that compares to that, you might ask? What can we possibly give to mom that could in any way close the gap?

When we give our time, energy and love, we begin.

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E-mail: icelandave@gmail.com