dear, hallmark, your mother’s day cards suck. love, me

another 10 minute quick write. . .

Mothers. Mother’s Day hasn’t been a big holiday for me in recent years ever since my grandmother passed away. I have come to the conclusion that I should write a letter to hallmark to let me know my thoughts on the limits of their mother day’s cards.

It would go something like this:

dear hallmark, I think you need to revisit the creative department and add a specialist or a focus group to help out in the creation of your mother’s day cards. For instance, I need a more appropriate card for both my mother and stepmother. The you changed my life. The I am so thankful for you. Thanks for being there. Just doesn’t work for me. Me. I am sure I am not alone. How about something like Mom, thanks for being there. Okay cross out the there and just put being. Being. More appropriate for someone who hasn’t been much of a mother in years -since I was a child-but hard to count. Years. Or for my stepmother- instead of thanks for the inspiration, or making me who I am. More like thanks. Thanks for dealing with our family and taking care of dad. We live in a new world, Hallmark. The typical family no longer exists. So your cards need to reflect this. Reflect the evolution of the family, of motherhood, of parenting. I am more than willing to provide my services to assist in this update to your mother’s day cards. Please don’t make me walk down the aisle another year and feel depressed and opt for the blank card yet again. Again.

So that would be my letter. Because mother's day just reminds me I am different. That everyone has a mother who supposedly changed them for the better. That’s what the cards say, the cards say. But the voices, the looks, the stories, say something different of course. No one writes the truth in those cards. But the truth we do tell each other, sometimes. Sometimes we do. Cards don’t always tell us what we need to say. Say to those who should mean so much and do and mean so little.

So this mother’ day, I did what I could and sent my blank card to my stepmother with the vibrant red flower on it. For my mother, I did nothing. Because although she was found. Because what could I say. Say. Say that would be the truth and not like the hallmark card. Thanks for being. Would be a start. I want you to be happy. Better. I wish I could know you. Know you and not be scared of how you might destroy me. Destroy me again. Say. Saying. Saying the truth doesn’t fit in cards.