B'zchus Nashim Tzidkaniyos

Just a quick one here - I must fully acknowledge my utmost respect for the Jewish mothers who make Pesach (/Yom Tov), let alone Shabbos (every week!) happen. My mother was a little under the weather this Erev Pesach, so I became the junior sous chef, right hand man, and assistant manager in the kitchen this year.

Let me tell you - it is exhausting! Three days of of 10 AM to 2:30 AM, practically nonstop cooking, peeling endless pounds of potatoes, cleaning chickens, and washing dishes is very draining. (It's rewarding as well, when you get to stuff your face on yuntif with awesome food that tastes better than chametz...) At the end of it all, I turned to my mom and said:

"Ma, I don't know how you do it every week, all by yourself. And you've been doing this for over twenty years, sometimes with babies running around!"

My mother just looked at me silently, and then said (tearfully):

"Thank you for acknowledging that! It makes it all so much more worthwhile when you say that to me, especially now that you've experienced it, too."

It's hard on our mothers - whether physically, emotionally, or financially, making a beautiful Shabbos every week, and Yom Tov every few weeks, is no easy task. Our mothers do it happily, and don't begrudge us any of it. (I assume) It is a mother's joy and nachas to see her children sitting around the Shabbos table, spending family time together, knowing that she is a part of that. But oftentimes, it goes unnoticed. I know that I have taken for granted my mother's hard work that goes into Shabbos many times.

But retroactively, a sincere "thank you" can make all the hard work seem effortless - even cleaning slimy raw chickens could be pleasurable, in hindsight.

So even if you haven't had the Pre-Pesach Kitchen Experience, tell your mom how much you appreciate all the effort she puts into making a beautiful chag.

While you're at it, show her this; in comparison, your mom is normal.