Celebrating stripped-down holiday
Valley families seek essence of day usually marked by long visits and restaurant meals
Jackie Suarez of Allentown hasn’t been able to visit her mom at Good Shepherd Home for three months.
Suarez went to “see” her mom a few weeks ago by looking through the window at the home’s Raker Center with her kids and her sister.
“We were able to wave and it wasn’t the same, but it put a smile on her face,” Suarez said. “For Mother’s Day, all I can do is send her gifts through Amazon. I’m also planning to visit her through the window again.”
Life for moms has changed since the pandemic — so too will the holiday that honors them Sunday.
There won’t be sit-down brunches at favorite restaurants or family gatherings and exchanges of flowers and gifts. It will be recognized through FaceTime, Zoom and through windows — with gifts and cards mailed.
Stripping down the holiday, however, has allowed moms to see what is truly important and meaningful, some say.
“I believe we will look back on this and realize how precious life is and the ones we love,” Suarez said.
No doubt it will be a tough holiday for many who can’t see their moms in person. And tougher still for those worried about their mothers who live in nursing homes, where the coronavirus has been particularly virulent.
For Mother’s Day this year, sisters Nanette Chladny and Cheryl Lichner got their mom, Frances Stoudt, a host of grocery items and a few extras, which they brought to Moravian Hall Square in Nazareth where she lives. But visitors aren’t allowed during
the coronavirus emergency, so the gift was left without the customary hugs.
“In all other Mother’s Days of the past, we have always spent the day with her,” said Chladny, of Macungie. “So we knew that we would have to come up with a plan for something original and perhaps special for her this year.”
The sisters dropped the items off in the vestibule of the main entrance to Moravian Hall Square, marked with their mom’s name.
“This is certainly one of those Mother’s Days that will be remembered for its oddity and uniqueness,” Chladny said. “But the saddest part of it all is not being able to actually be with our mother.”
The Zale family of Saylorsburg is planning a quiet Mother’s Day with just the four of them. They’ll make dinner at home, and if the weather is nice, Pattie and Brian Zale will get outside in the yard with their two little girls and enjoy the day together.
“If anything it’s about getting together with your kids and having more family time,” said Pattie Zale, a stay-athome mom. “I don’t need to go out to dinner and get a fancy gift.”
She has adjusted to taking on the role of preschool teacher for her 5-year-old, Meredith, while wrangling 1-year-old Natalie. And she has grown accustomed to having her husband at home during the day. Brian Zale conducts virtual class as a physical education teacher for Pen Argyl Area High School.
It’s tough to explain to the kids why they can’t visit with their grandparents, Pattie Zale said.
“It’s different, obviously,” she said. “But the hardest part will be not to see our own moms. I’m sure we’ll FaceTime and we’ll mail off our cards, but other than that we’ll have to wait till we can see each other again and celebrate together.”
On Mother’s Day and every Sunday, the Luciano family attends Mass at
Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Whitehall. This year, they’ll start Mother’s Day by watching Sunday Mass on YouTube, enjoying breakfast, then hiking.
Lisa Luciano is glad to have her husband, Mike, and sons Michael, 18, and Logan, 14, with her. A silver lining in the pandemic has been having Michael home early from his freshman year at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
“I’ve been embracing those extra months with him,” she said.
Though the pandemic has been scary, it reinforced for Luciano how fortunate she is to have her health and her family.
“As a family, we’re thankful for what we have and for each other,” she said. “Mother’s Day is about spending time with my family, and I’ll have that.”