Mother's Day

As I write this, today is Mother's Day. Generally, at least in the U.S, it is a day when families collect around their "Moms" and celebrate them for being who and what they are and the invaluable contribution they make to the stabilization and well being of the family. This often means taking the mothers out to brunch or dinner at a local restaurant. But given the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus right now, many if not virtually all restaurants are closed. That means the tradition of treating Mom to a meal she won't have to cook and then clean-up afterward will no doubt not be honored this year.

This means Dads and the "kids" are going to have to come up with some other way to give a shout-out to this indispensable member of their unit. Such a circumstance presents a challenge.as it means new strategies will need to be devised that communicate to Mom how much she is loved and appreciated. This is a great example of the never-ending challenge of communicating effectively. All of us live in what Darwin referred to an "ever-changing environment." To borrow the old cliché, "nothing lasts forever." We either adjust or fall by the wayside. That may seem harsh, but it does not diminish from the truth of such a reality.

How we communicate with others, particularly those that are of importance to us, is not a stationary act. By that I mean it demands that we must be flexible in our reaching-out to others. Growing up, for instance, we live with our Moms, so connecting with them is easy. But when we ourselves become adults and go out on our own, reaching out is less easy. At that point, we either have to telephone or text our Moms and perhaps even make travel plans to interact with them in-person. If we are unable or unwilling to make such adjustments, then how well we communicate with them will be compromised or, worse, lost.