Mother's Day

May 7, 2007

Mother’s Day in Portugal.

Mother’s day in Portugal is celebrated one week earlier than in the United States. I’m not sure of the reasoning for the date and why it is different here but I think the holiday itself has something to do with Mary…the mother of Jesus. Regardless, it was a beautiful day and my family had many unexpected, non-material gifts for me throughout the day.

Mother’s day began dreamily in the spare bedroom of our little house in Sao Lourenco. In fact, my day began quite a few hours later than it usually does as I was sequestered in the quietest space in the house where the cheerful singing of Jenna waking up and the more energetic Marcos barging into the room were safely on the bottom floor. I slept until 9:00am when Marcos finally came into the room to rouse me from my sleep. I was awakened with a hug, a kiss and a four year old’s determination to open the shades “to help me wake up.”

Considering the very comfortable lives we are living while in Portugal there aren’t many other ways to be spoiled. Duarte and I decided to indulge ourselves with a very long bike ride. Our longest ride yet was from Chaves to the next bigger village over called Vidago. Duarte and I have a tendency to get a little lost on these ventures so after climbing two, grueling mountains and scrambling through some thorny brush we made it to our destination three and a half hours later. My legs were screaming and I was happily yearning for a table full of food at Quinta da Mata to satiate my empty stomach.

Back at Quinta da Mata we had a wonderful meal waiting for us as I had hoped and two happy kids playing on the patio. I love such afternoons at Quinta da Mata. The whole family was there just hanging out enjoying good food, drink and conversation. The adults took turns playing with Marcos and Jenna. The patio has four big, granite walls to keep the kids from running off. They spent the entire afternoon kicking the soccer ball and pushing around their toy trucks and tractors.

Along with Lipe and Susana, we took Geninha (Duarte’s mother) out to dinner to one of Geninha’s favorite restaurants “Don Pinto”. The food was excellent as well as the wine. Marcos and Jenna have become friends since our arrival to Portugal. I am not sure if the reasoning is because Marcos has few kids his age to play with or if it is because Jenna is now bigger and more interactive. Regardless, they like each other and it is wonderful to watch from a mother’s point of view. In the restaurant (where people are much more tolerant of children than in the United States) Marcos and Jenna ran around and played and laughed. They seemed like brother and sister for the first time to me today.

After dinner we went to the “Termas” area of Chaves. The Termas area is actually the main reason the city of Chaves was created and in Roman times the city was actually named Aquae Flavius after the hot mineral water spring that bubbles up in the center of the city. This water is known to be healing water. There is a spa in Chaves that utilizes the water exclusively for those in need of healing – a doctor’s prescription is required for admission. Outside of the spa there is a hot water spring where most of the inhabitants of Chaves stop by frequently for a cup of the hot water after a meal. The water is said to aid digestion and heal all kinds of ailments and afflictions. We all went to the spring to have a cup of the sacred water and enjoy the last hours of the day together. The kids ran free while we sat upon the old granite steps and savored the warm night air and a hot cup of water.

After our hot, late night drink, we drove back to Quinta da Mata to drop off Geninha and Filinto. As we were preparing to pull away, Marcos rolled down his window and called his grandfather to the car. When Filinto came back over to the car, Marcos leaned out of the window and squeezed him so tight. There is much love between those two.

The day ended late when we carried two sleeping kids from our car under a sky full of stars. We tucked each of them into their cozy beds and kissed their sweet faces. My mother’s day was filled with glorious moments of love, adventure, family and a little bit of sentimentality. I am grasping tight to these beautiful days. They are some of the best I have ever had.