What An Odd Mother’s Day But It Is Mother’s Day Nonetheless

Black-bellied Plover at the edge of a lagoon – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light

It is Mother’s Day 2020 and the planet is suffering from one of the worst pandemics in recent history. Some of us are still in “lock down” mode, most of us are still being cautious about social distancing and are wary of even going to the grocery store let alone spending time with our loved ones and families because we want to protect them from an invisible virus named Covid-19. Nothing is “normal” and we might never get back to the old “normal” again.

This morning I opted to go back in time to a “normal” Mother’s Day by pulling a Black-bellied Plover photo from my archives that was taken on Mother’s Day in 2009. Back then we could visit family, shower our mothers with love and affection up close and personal without wearing masks or staying six feet apart. It was a time when we could hug our moms and hold them tight. I couldn’t do that with my mom in 2009 because I lived in Florida and she lived in Virginia but most sons and daughters could.

I called my mom early that morning in 2009 and wished her a Happy Mother’s Day before heading towards the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park to watch the sunrise. It was quiet except for the calls of the birds and the waves washing over the shore.

I photographed Reddish Egrets dancing in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the still lagoons near the coast and nearby a few Red-winged Blackbird males calling from the tops of mangroves. I took photos of Laughing Gulls circling over my head and Dunlins searching for tiny mollusks while running away from the waves. There were bathing Ruddy Turnstones and American Oystercatchers in my viewfinder along with resting Willets, Short-billed Dowitchers, and a Marbled Godwit.

I sand-crawled, got soaking wet in the waters of the Gulf and the lagoons, savored the scent of the sea breeze, felt the warm sand between my toes and it felt like “all was well” in the world.

It was just a normal day at the beach that also happened to be Mother’s Day and this morning I ache for some of that normalcy not just for me but for every mother. I know I am not alone. Yet I know that moms are tough and that we’ll make the best of what we have. Like we always do.

So, from this mom to all of the moms in the world… Happy Mother’s Day.

Life is good. Stay safe.

Mia