by Lisa Moody Breslin
One of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts I’ve received over the last 33 years is a rolled-up copy of the poem “The Lanyard,” by American poet Billy Collins. Kyleen, my oldest daughter, a college freshman at the time, lovingly tied a red ribbon around the paper and sent it to me knowing that I’d get it — and that I’d cry. I did.
As the poem unfolds, the speaker weaves colored plastic strands to create a lanyard for his mother, a gift he is making during summer camp. Simultaneously, the speaker recounts all the tender, brave and selfless things that his mother did for him:
“She nursed me in many a sick room, lifted spoons of medicine to my lips, laid cold face-cloths on my forehead, and then led me out into the airy light and taught me to walk and swim.
“Here are thousands of meals, she said, and here is clothing and a good education,” the poem continues.
The poem’s overarching sentiment is the speaker’s concern that any gift to his mother, even his lanyard, could never repay her for all her sacrifices and love. However, ultimately, the speaker comes to a reverent realization that, for his mother (and most mothers), the lanyard was more than enough.
On Mother’s Day, we all receive lanyards, tiny tokens of gratitude for our dedication to motherhood and our children.
When our children were in elementary school, nothing said, ‘I love you, Mom’ like a macaroni necklace or a handmade card with adorable misspellings. Over the years, their tokens of love have shifted from a potted plant, a homemade spa day or DIY jewelry to a playlist, a thoughtful book, baked goods or a personalized coffee mug.
And, like the poem author’s mother, each tiny token is more than enough. As mothers, we recognize that love is the muse for their creative little hands — and, eventually, their hands as adults and even parents themselves. Their muse is also appreciation, which is more than enough.
An internet search reveals how even some of the biggest stars in entertainment today created lanyard-level gifts for their mothers before they gained fame and fortune.
As a teenager, Oprah Winfrey saved up money from her first job to buy her mother a warm winter coat. Before fame, Ed Sheeran wrote and recorded a special song for his parents as a heartfelt gift.
Dolly Parton bought her mom a box of chocolates with her first earnings because her mother never had store-bought sweets. Before she became famous, Celine Dion and her siblings wrote and performed homemade songs as gifts for their mother.
With fame and fortune, Leonardo DiCaprio dedicated a grove of trees to his mother and grandmother through the environmental organization TreePeople, symbolizing lasting gratitude. Beyoncé gifted her mother, Tina Knowles, a $5.9 million mansion in Houston’s affluent Piney Point Village, providing a luxurious retreat.
When my youngest daughter, Kate, was in middle school, she gave me an essay confirming that I qualified to be a saint. Granted, the essay was an assignment for a religion class, but it morphed into a moving Mother’s Day gift, nonetheless.
In the essay, she compared some of my best qualities with those of several saints — patience, compassion and perseverance — and urged readers to share her belief that I was a saint. She even included a colored drawing of a stained glass window with me at the center.
(I will not detract from this story’s focus by offering an inventory of personal behaviors that, had Kate known, would kill any thought of comparing me to a saint.)
This Mother’s Day, I hope all mothers feel like the lanyard-loving saints that they are.
No matter the gift, I hope that mothers soak in all their children’s love and appreciation, whether it manifests in a homemade card, flowers from the grocery store, coffee in bed or even a brief call from an adult child who lives far from home.
To me, any mother who does her best to show up during a child’s best and worst times is a saint.
A few Carroll County moms shared some lanyard-level Mother’s Day gifts from their children. Those heartfelt gifts laden with gratitude include:
“Dominic gave me flowers to plant with a card that said something like, ‘My love for you blooms year after year.’ I love that gift. The flowers are still coming back, and, like him, they grow bigger and bigger each year.” – Julie Mayer
“Maddie gave me the cutest gift many years ago. She handmade a coupon book replete with gift slips for chores around the house. I still have it! In fact, I recently told her I was going to cash in one of the gift slips for a refrigerator cleanout!” – Lynn Davis
“Anders went to the beach for Senior Week, and he was coming home on Mother’s Day. He stopped at a shop he thought would have just the right gift and purchased a bracelet. I love that, while with friends, he thought of me and took time to stop. I also have a coupon from Anneke to play a ‘bored’ game. She was 8 at the time. She is 15 now, and I still have it.” – Stephanie Madsen
When my girls, Gillian and Colleen, were toddlers, their teachers had the kids decorate little mini flowerpots using the girls’ tiny fingerprints as ladybugs. The plants didn’t survive, but I still have the pots on my windowsill. – Margaret Blubaugh
