This year, I will celebrate my 49th Mother’s Day! Thirty-nine of those were spent as an active duty spouse and military mom. As I pause to reflect on those occasions, I realize the impact that time with Uncle Sam had on those special days.

I spent them in a wide variety of places — settings in various countries, cities, different homes, and with different folks. I was often alone with my sweet children while their dad was about being all that he could be. At other times, it was a day he’d created because they were too young, or a day that they created because they were creative, enthusiastic, and full of love to share.

But the most precious part of Mother’s Day for me is the fact that it offered my life a “twofer” — I got to celebrate the gift of motherhood and the fact that it had made us a family.

“Family Day” was as critical to the moment as was Mother’s Day. Adding a child to our partnership allowed us to become a family unit – at first a trio and then later a foursome, making our way through life. What a gift! And that you get both for one effort is amazing – like “buy one get one free”!

As family life brought us closer together, it was reading that became an integral part of our union. As parents, we were both avid readers. Sharing a story or tale as we nestled the children into bed was a regular evening habit. Pouring over pictures in books, new words discovered, clever content, and mysterious adventures were part of our routine and our conversations.

As a military family, reading was a familiar activity that bridged the distance that often fell between us. We could recall how Dad had read a story even though he was now miles away. We could share our thoughts on a book with pictures drawn, colored, and mailed to him. We preceded United Through Reading, but its mission fully reflects the same needs we had for using reading to keep us bound to one another.

However many Mother’s Days you have celebrated, perhaps make this one different. Maybe read Are You My Mother by PD Eastman with your little one and create a celebratory habit for yourselves. With older children, consider sharing The Night Before Mother’s Day by Natasha Wing, to keep reading in place for this holiday. And even older children can gain from a book’s involvement in making this day special, if you pen your story into something like: “Mom, I want to hear your story!”, and then talk with them about your thoughts and their reactions. Finding ways to talk with a young teen is priceless.

For 49 years, I have had the privilege of being a mom. Even though my children are now parents, and my daughter is her own version of a great mother, I am still blessed with a role that continues to have worth. And all that I have lived, experienced, read, and shared makes this “double holiday” a bargain for my heart. I hope you find the same vocational gratitude in yours.

Blogger Bio: Christi Ham is an “elder” military spouse, having been with her husband, General Carter F. Ham, for thirty-nine years of active duty service. In that time, she learned a great deal, experienced even more, and had the opportunity to grow as a leader, professional educator, and community volunteer. Along with their two children, the Ham family moved 26 times in that period of time, relocating stateside, in Europe, in cities and towns, accompanying her spouse or awaiting his return, for short intervals or lengthy assignments.

Each re-assignment brought new friends, new challenges, and new chances that her past experiences could enrich and fertilize for growth and development.

Now married for nearly 50 years, a grandmother to three sweet cherubs and a pleasantly retired Missouri homeowner, Christi is privileged to put the pen to paper and support the future of our military and its families, sharing the insights that served her so well.