When a woman becomes a mother for the first time, it is a new experience, and yet mothers have been around since...well, that's a question for philosophers.  Unless you were born in a test tube, or are a space alien from a different galaxy, or are a politician, you were born into this world from a woman who at least for one moment, was a mother.

I would love to go on to say that everyone has a loving mother who cared for them as an infant, raised them though childhood, angered them during adolescence, amused them during adulthood and helped care for the grandchildren.  For many people this is true and yet for others, the word 'mother' is a distant pale shade of a person, or even a myth.

Becoming a mother is pretty easy.  It's been done for thousands and thousands of years through procreation.  Being a good mother is a whole different gig.  Being a loving mother, a patient person, an unselfish being, a caretaker and a cop, a cook and a house manager, a woman and an authority figure, an underpaid worker and an individual who receives a bountiful payment in love... this is the person we are celebrating today.  The person who is the whole world for the baby, the supplier for the child, the cop during adolescence, the supporter for early adulthood, the babysitter for the kids, and the wise elder during those long, lazy days of slumber in middle age.

"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother.  A child is a child.  They get bigger, older, but grown?  What's that suppose to mean?  In my heart it don't mean a thing."  
                                                           - Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

Motherhood and mothers should never be taken for granted.  Ask anyone who never knew their mother or whose mother has passed on to the continuous Mother's Day in the sky.  Mothers are the givers of love and the takers of pain.  A mother's instinct is more durable than stainless steel and knock-knock jokes.  Mothers are womb warriors, people who will fight and die for their offspring.  Mothers are soft touches, crying over the silliest pictures drawn by their kindergarten aged child or the 'oh so serious' looking 3rd grade school photo of their daughter or son.

Many of us are now too old to be able to give our mother a crayon drawing or a paper turkey shaped like a hand.  This might bring a smile to her face but not the type of smile we were hoping to get.  Also many of us are not able to afford to give our mother a new home or a lifetime gift certificate for free meals at her favorite local restaurant.  For more and more of us, our mothers are reaching an age where perfume or flowers may not be the most useful gift.  Take a look at what Rehabmart can offer to the wonderful women and mothers out there who have always done what was needed to be done and now are ready to enjoy another part of their adult life.

As our mothers grow older and less limber, it doesn't mean that she should have to strain to reach parts of her body that were reachable years earlier.  The Swiveling Lotion Applicator can be a very helpful and healthful product for mom to use.  

                                                             

It is velvety soft and designed specifically for a smooth, uniform, and consistent application of lotions, creams, or ointments.  The applicator is 23 inches long which helps to eliminate the need for mom to bend and stretch while trying to reach the unreachable spots on her body and the sponge head swivels to accommodate the unique contours of her body.

Also as mothers become older, more often than not they become wiser by taking better care of themselves.  With the Wellness Travel Pak Pill Organizer, mom won't have to search for her vitamins or medications anymore.  

                                           

She can now keep them organized with a system that is both simple and reliable regardless of the tablet or pill size, in replaceable, see-through slider zip bags and customized labels.  This innovative and time-saving vitamin/delivery system fits nicely into a purse or travel bag and is TSA/Airport security-friendly. 

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found."   
                                                              - Calvin Trillin

How many times have you seen your mother struggle with bags of groceries or laundry?  With the Winnie Wagon, mom can use this sturdy, all-purpose cart to transport just about anything in or out of the house.  

                                                   

It comes with large rubber casters that provide for a smooth transport over most surfaces and easily folds for convenient storage and transport.

Sometimes Mom may have a difficult time getting around, or just needs some assistance while on a field trip with the grandchildren.  She might want to use the Breast Cancer Awareness Rollator to both get around town and to bring attention to Breast Cancer survivors.  

                                              

This pink rollator has a comfortable padded seat with loop brakes.  The attached basket beneath the seat provides security yet is easily removable to carry with you. Weighing only 15 pounds, its lightweight aluminum makes transporting easy.

If your mother is more of the active type and she likes to get outside, then she might just love this EZ Roll Regal Tricycle.  This top-of-the-line EZ Roll Regal 3-wheeler Tricycle offers all the features you need to make getting out and about a wonderful experience.  

                                          

It comes with a unique high-back tractor-style seat which provides maximum comfort and support and an adjustable frame for a perfect custom fit.  It has alloy wheels and a front cantilever V-brake with a locking parking lever that is within easy reach and other mother-friendly details like a chrome front fender, a rust-resistant rear basket, a reflector package and safety flags.

"You couldn't fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life if you had an electrified fooling machine."
      - Homer Simpson

Mother's day is special because the day is intended to celebrate a special person.  We all get busy with our lives, with work and kids and paying the bills, and we sometimes forget the person who was also busy keeping us safe and teaching us about life while we were growing up.  Go ahead, make that phone call or make the effort to fly or drive to see your mom.  Mom won't be around to hold our hand and comfort us forever, so take the time and make the effort and say "Hi" to your mom today.  Her day.  Mother's Day.  What the heck, make her another crayon colored hand-shaped paper turkey, I am sure she will still love it.

Dedicated to Mary Stock
1925-2004
"I miss thee, my Mother!  Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart."
                                         - Eliza Cook

Bill Stock
Library Editor for Rehabmart
and
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Team Leader & CEO