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Motherhood rarely follows a single script. The basic facts may be the same — your mom brought you into the world and influenced you in ways you’re still discovering — but the journey looks different for everyone who experiences it.
What is consistent is that it’s rarely easy, whether they face illness, loss, financial strain, or countless hard choices along the way. And somehow, mothers keep going.
Our moms’ resilience and sacrifice are part of why Mother’s Day is so important. It gives us a reason to pause and recognize something that’s deeply personal, but also easy to overlook in the pace of everyday life.
One of the best parts of writing this letter is reading your stories about your Amazing Moms. They capture what no general statement ever could: the small acts of care, strength, humor, discipline, generosity, and love that make every mother’s story unique.
I’m honored to share a few of them.
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The invisible work of love
Some of the most powerful expressions of motherhood occur in the flow of everyday life and are easy to miss. As several of your stories show, this work often serves as the invisible glue that holds families and communities together.
Alicia, for instance, wrote about her daughter, a military spouse raising her family overseas while also giving her time to others in her community. Her days stretch long, filled with responsibilities at home and beyond. “She stays up late sewing patches on vests and uniforms, running family errands, and helping others,” Alicia wrote.
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Dee, another community member, shared a portrait of her mother, whose role has shifted over the years without her ever slowing down. She manages her husband’s care, keeps their business running, and still finds ways to help others. Dee adds:
“If someone needs help, she is there… She even bags food and brings it to people in need along the road.”
Jennifer described her daughter balancing a full-time career with raising two children and supporting her church community — a life layered with responsibility and still rooted in generosity. “She is also a wonderful cook who often shares meals with those in need.”
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What Amazing Moms teach us
Some of our moms’ most important lessons emerge in the ordinary moments when plans fall apart and someone must figure out what comes next. It’s in these high-pressure moments that a mother’s true ingenuity shines.
Pati, for instance, shared a story from a time when money was tight and the cupboards were nearly empty. That morning, her daughters flipped a coin to decide who would get the last pork chop. Her youngest won. Then came a phone call: “My mother-in-law called to say she was arriving in an hour — with seven relatives — for dinner,” Pati recalled.
Pati and her daughters gathered what they had — rice, an onion, a few mushrooms, green beans, canned biscuits, and that one pork chop. They stretched the pork into gravy, cooked the rice, baked the biscuits, picked flowers from the yard, and served the meal family-style. When someone asked for dessert, they improvised again.
After everyone left, Pati and her daughters “collapsed in laughter.” Her youngest, who had given up her pork chop, said it was worth it. “That day, my daughters learned how to make something out of nothing — and how to make it meaningful.”
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The many moms in our lives
Another story is a reminder that motherhood isn’t limited to biology. It’s often a collection of different voices and helping hands that come together to build a foundation of love where one might otherwise have been missing. Rosie’s story brings this idea to life.
Her mother left when Rosie and her siblings were young. Her father stepped in to raise them, giving up his military career. Later, her stepmother helped create a stable home. Along the way, Rosie also found care beyond her family — in a friend's mom, a coach, and a drama teacher. “Thank you, ladies, for being the missing pieces in my life,” she said.
Now a mother herself, Rosie looks back with gratitude for the people who supported her even when life was neither easy nor ideal.
“Love is a choice,” she concluded.
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A love that never ends
Mother’s Day can bring a mix of emotions. Alongside celebration, there are stories tinged with loss — and about the ways love continues even after someone is gone.
Amy shared what the day has come to mean for her. She lost her son when he was 31:
“For me, Mother's Day is full of joy because of my grown children and grandchildren, but it is also a day that breaks my heart and takes my breath away. People don't understand that time does not heal these wounds. Please keep us in mind.”
Courtney wrote about losing her mother and recognizing her in everyday moments.
“I catch myself mirroring her mannerisms — even laughing like her. I feel it in small, unexpected moments… I feel her everywhere. She left a space that can't be filled — but also a presence that hasn't disappeared.”
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Taken together, these stories illustrate the ways we’re influenced by those who care for us — and how that care carries forward, often in ways we don’t fully realize until much later.
If you’re fortunate to have your mother in your life today, I hope you’ll take a moment to let her know what she means to you. For those of us who have lost our moms, we can honor them by continuing to share their stories and putting the lessons they taught us into practice.
By living out the values all our moms instilled, we keep their spirit and love very much alive in us.
Happy Mother’s Day,
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In this week’s episode of Power & Impact, I speak with Sam Reese, CEO of
Vistage, about a problem almost every leader eventually faces: The more responsibility you have, the fewer people you can be fully honest with.
That’s where Vistage comes in. The organization brings CEOs and business leaders into confidential peer groups where they can wrestle with the decisions they cannot easily bring to employees, boards, or even family members. Sam knows that need personally. Early in his first CEO role, he felt so overwhelmed that he tried to quit. A board member told him he did not need to walk away. He needed help.
That experience changed the course of his career.
Today, Sam leads a global organization of more than 45,000 members, giving him a rare view into what leaders are struggling with right now: AI, culture, uncertainty, remote work, burnout, and the loneliness that comes with being the person expected to have all the answers.
Our conversation explores what separates the best leaders from everyone else: humility, the willingness to listen, and the courage to let others challenge their thinking before the stakes get too high.
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Remembering Ted Turner
You’ve likely read obituaries describing Ted Turner as a swashbuckling entrepreneur and extraordinary philanthropist who founded CNN and changed the way the world got its news. Those descriptions are true but only begin to capture the man I knew.
I remember being with him once in Atlanta, arriving at a hotel in his old station wagon. Ted drove right up onto the sidewalk, almost as if he were going to pull straight into the lobby. He hopped out, tossed the keys to the valet, and kept moving without missing a beat.
That was Ted. Wherever he went, the seas parted. He marched to a different drumbeat, and that rhythm allowed him to create such extraordinary things.
I feel privileged to have known him and benefited from his advice. One memorable moment came during the first Gulf War, when many companies were pulling back their advertising. Ted encouraged us to stay on CNN, reminding me that uncertain times are when people need connection the most.
We kept our ads running while many others disappeared. Ted made sure ours stayed on the air, and because so few advertisers were left, they seemed to run constantly. People still joke that the Gulf War was “brought to you by” 1-800-Flowers.com.
That story captured just one aspect of Ted’s life.
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50 Years In: Mother’s Day after the rush
As 1-800-Flowers.com marks its 50th anniversary, I’ve been thinking less about milestones and more about the moments that have helped shape our story. This week, I want to share what Mother’s Day looked like in those early years.
I’m often asked what Mother’s Day felt like in our house when the business was just getting started. Those early years were a blur of activity as we prepared orders, packed arrangements, and made deliveries. Everyone in the family pitched in.
At home, our celebration usually came a little later. Flowers for my mom, Claire, and my wife, Marylou, often came from what remained after the rush had passed. A day or two later, when things settled down, we would bring something home and take a moment to celebrate together.
My mother played a central role in the early days of the company. She handled the accounting and kept everything organized while the rest of us focused on the shop. She believed in paying attention to details, taking responsibility for your work, and doing things the right way.
Those lessons have stayed with me ever since.
My mom is no longer with us, and I miss her every day. I still celebrate Mother’s Day by thinking about her and all she did for me. I also celebrate the moms throughout my life, including my wonderful wife, my sisters, our daughter, and daughters-in-law. I could not have built this life, this family, or this business without them.
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In the news: Celebrating Mother’s Day on PIX11
Amid the rush of activity leading up to Mother’s Day, I always try to make time for interviews with local and national media outlets. They usually want to know how business is going, what trends we’re seeing, and how to keep flowers fresh a little longer.
One of my most memorable appearances took place just last week at PIX11, whose headquarters are just a few blocks from our Manhattan office. (I’ve always loved that building. It was home to the Daily News for decades, and you may recognize it as the Daily Planet headquarters from the
1978 Superman movie.)
I joined Marysol Castro for a wonderful conversation about Mother’s Day and the 50th anniversary of 1-800-Flowers.com. We talked about how the company grew from a single flower shop in 1976 into a a business that helps millions of people express themselves every day.
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Ringing in Mother’s Day week
One of my favorite Mother’s Day week rituals is ringing the opening bell at Nasdaq in Times Square. For years, I’ve been joined by our colleagues and many of their moms, and this year was no different.
Standing alongside CEO Adolfo Villagomez, our team, our families, and so many wonderful mothers from across the 1-800-Flowers community, I was reminded of the values that have guided us from the beginning: care, thoughtfulness, generosity, and the relationships we strive to build every day.
When I think back to our first shop, not far from Times Square, I remember that Marylou and I spent many Saturdays and Sundays there, often working late into the evening. What we learned then still guides us now: We are invited into people’s lives at very special moments, and our role is to help them express what matters most.
A special thank you to Nasdaq for hosting us and to everyone who helped mark the occasion. To all the moms and mother figures in our lives, today and every day, we celebrate you.
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Related articles that caught my eye
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Written by our Founder and Chairman, our Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.
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