With Valentine’s Day in the rearview and Spring just around the corner, it’s time to begin planning PCYM’s next major event – the Annual Mother’s Day Gala. Sheila, the social events committee chairman of the local “Please Call Your Mother” association, called a meeting to get the ball rolling.
“Hello ladies, thanks for joining us today. I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day. Are we all excited about our upcoming Mother’s Day Gala? I know I am. It’s never too early to start preparing for the most important day of the year!”
Heads nodded in agreement. PCYM’s annual affair is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the importance of mothers and to mutually congratulate each other on our many accomplishments during the past year. The event also serves as a charity fundraiser, supporting programs to help new mothers learn to cope, recalling how difficult it was for each of us at that stage of life.
Each year hundreds of ladies gather on the first Sunday in May to enjoy mimosas and a lovely brunch buffet, to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, and to participate in the infamous silent auction. An added draw is a party favor bag which includes coveted items such as a gift card for custom mani-pedis, coupons for one free week’s laundry service at the local “Fluff and Fold” and special noise-cancelling earplugs, great while babysitting noisy grandchildren or watching rowdy sports events with hubby.
“So, gals, I was thinking we could change it up a bit this year.” Sheila continued. “What if we celebrate not only mothers, but also include mothers-in-law? As many of us have personally experienced, these ladies are frequently unappreciated and often get a bad rap. Let’s do something fun and celebrate all the good advice they’ve given us over the years. Perhaps a skit or even a musical, extolling their contributions to our lives. What do you think?”
All agreed. Each of us had a mother-in-law who, at one time or another, had given us advice. The table buzzed with recollections of the sometimes unsolicited and often crazy suggestions and guidance we’d received over the years.
Maisie spoke up first: “My mother-in-law was a sweet southern woman. Her advice to me was to continue to call her son, my new husband, “Mr. Wonderful” as she had nick-named him, and to wrap him in a bedsheet and beat him with a broom when he misbehaved.”
Patty next weighed in: “My mother-in-law seemed to have more energy than God! When I was a young bride, she would pick me up in her jazzy Pontiac on her day off and take me shopping. She drove like a cowboy, zipping around corners so fast I would slide off the seat. She knew I handed over my paycheck each week to her son, who, not surprisingly, later became my ex-husband. She would often slip me $20 to buy some treat for myself. One day, she presented me with a teapot as a gift. Tucked inside was a crisp $20 bill and a note: ‘Always keep a little money set aside for yourself - you never know when you’ll need a little pick-me-up.’ To this day, I keep a little stash of cash in that same teapot.”
Irene got some advice about the future, “I still remember the counsel my mother-in-law gave me shortly after the birth of my son. She said that having a son was a wonderful but tricky thing. I would always be special to him, but someday I would have to let go when he found and married the love of his life. On the day I found out I would be welcoming a daughter-in-law into the family, I began to imagine how I could help make sure this was the best wedding ever. Then I recalled her guidance all those many years before, ‘Just buy the beige dress and keep your mouth shut.’ The bride and her mother planned the wedding, which was a beautiful affair. My designer beige dress was a lovely complement to the rest of the wedding party.
We all agreed; the sage advice of mothers-in-law was to be acknowledged and treasured. Nancy, our talented composer and songwriter agreed to write the perfect script, with music and lyrics to be premiered at the gala.
The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote adopting a bright pink color scheme with enough bouquets of roses to fill the room. Also adopted was the design and wording of the invitations, to include a style suggestion that everyone wear a beige dress.
© 2024 Annie Sokoloff
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