Lesson...mowed?

Several circumstances converged and made it so my mom was unable to mow her yard this week.  Being the dutiful daughter, I volunteered.  No big deal, right?  It only takes about two hours out of my 168 hour week, that's really not much.  Then it rained.  And rained.  And rained.  Last night I finally got to mow, but the yard was still a little wet and very slippery.  I fought with her super heavy duty mower, stopped several times to clean out the clogged chute, leaving piles of cut grass along the way and nearly lost a toe to prune-foot.  Then it got dark.  Really, Honda, why is it that only the riding mowers get a headlight?  It's so unfair.  It was a headache, to say the least.  Driving home at 9:30 last night, I thought back to all the times my mom couldn't play ball or take us to the mall because she needed to mow the grass.  At the time, I thought it was just an excuse to stay home and do what she wanted, but as I get older and have these responsibilities of my own, I see the commitment she made to providing a happy, healthy and well-kept home.  It's hard work and not much fun, and I am so lucky to have such an incredibly strong woman who made it all look easy as my role model.  Hopefully tonight, as I'm mowing my own yard, I can channel a little bit of her strength and energy and remember that I'm not just mowing a lawn, I'm keeping a home.