Ever since the birth of my oldest son, Mother’s Day has been one of my favorite days of the year. As I always tell people, motherhood is the best job I’ve ever had. What could be more fun than celebrating that? Breakfast in bed, dinner at a favorite restaurant, cards and gifts from the kids and my husband, lunches with our extended family -- all these things were the added icing on my Mother’s Day cake. 

Mother’s Day 2020 is fast approaching and it already feels bittersweet. I can’t help but think of all the moms who will be in hospitals that day, as patients or medical professionals, working in supermarkets and pharmacies or on transit systems. It will of course be the hardest day for those who have lost a mother, step-mother, mother-in-law or a grandmother. 

It feels selfish to think about what the day will be like for the rest of us, and yet I do. Neither of my sons can come to New York where I live. I can’t see my 90 year old mother or my 80 year mother-in-law. There will be no extended family gatherings or dinners out. This is the collective reality for so many.  I’m reminded though that even in the darkest hours there are things to be grateful for. My husband and only daughter are here with me. We are all healthy. Thanks to technology I can “see” my sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. And, I’ve been reminded of how precious life is and how the connections we share are all that really matters in the end.

I’ve always been inspired by other moms -- their bottomless well of courage, patience, love and tenacity. This year I am more than inspired, I’m in awe. I’m in awe of the women who are all of that at home, while being super heroes at work. They are the ones I’ll be thinking about this Mother’s Day.

Always With You,

Nancy Street

Chief Executive Officer