Monday Motivation, 5.3.2021

Written by: Maura Long

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

The Long family isn’t crazy about annual holidays, birthdays, and “Hallmark” holidays.  I like to think we save our energy for the “big” life events; you know, retirements, engagements, weddings, babies, anniversaries, etc. We still celebrate the annual events, and they are always fun, but we typically avoid the pomp and circumstance. There aren’t usually presents, but we always have each other’s presence, a good meal, and of course, our mom’s famous cookies. Then, at the end of the night, we say our goodbyes, give our hugs and go on our way.  

Throwback to Mother’s Day 2020: It is around 11:00 AM, and our sibling group chat is blowing up about what the plan is, who is bringing what, what time are we eating, who’s house are we going to for dinner, etc.  So entirely not planned out and overall just a total cluster.  We figure out those details and are excited to celebrate our beautiful mother with a hodgepodge dinner from the refrigerated case of Ukrop’s “homemade” dishes, the frozen food aisle, and the bakery stands at Food Lion. Twenty minutes before we are supposed to be at dinner, we realized no one picked up a card. Kevin says he will stop and pick one up from Food Lion while he picks up his dinner contributions. Well, to our dismay, there were no Mother’s Day cards at Food Lion or the Pleasant’s Hardware across the street.  Kevin instead picks up a beautiful Happy Birthday card, where we affectionately cross out “Birthday” and write “Mother’s Day” instead.  We write a little message, sign our names and giggle as Denise opens the card. We all laugh, enjoy our dinner and each other’s company, say goodnight and go to our respective homes.

I think I am just getting more sentimental in my old age, but recently these annual holidays and birthdays are hitting me differently. This year we are celebrating our mom, Denise, but two new moms too! ICYMI Megan and Patrick are expecting a baby girl towards the end of July, and Kevin and Hannah will welcome a baby boy in November.  We are all over the moon excited, and they are all going to be stellar parents. But, all of these new family members and the circle of life have got me thinking… “Holy shit.  We are getting old.  Marriage. Pregnancy. Motherhood. Grandparents. Life is crazy. But what blows my mind is how the heck did my mom raise four good kids (I am biased) and not lose her sanity?”

I could write ten pages on why I think my mom is the best human being ever to walk the planet, but to name a few: the countless sacrifices, supportive hugs, post-it note reminders, the lessons and morals she instilled in us daily, being our biggest cheerleaders on and off the field, the millions of cookies she bakes, the thousands of pictures she takes, and the countless notes of support she writes to family, friends, and strangers to let them know she is thinking about them. She is truly the most thoughtful person I know, and I am so so so blessed to be her daughter.

So this Motivation Monday marks six days before Mother’s Day, and I am challenging you to not wait until the last minute and instead plan something nice and special to celebrate a mom who does so much for you and your family.  It doesn’t have to be expensive – write them a letter, give them the gift of time, do something to preserve memories, put some genuine thought into it.  Make sure the moms in your life know they are loved, appreciated, seen, and heard. Lastly, please learn from our mistake and get your MOTHER’S DAY card today.  These ladies spend SO much of their time and energy pouring love into our families; an appropriate card is the least we can do. And moms, don’t forget to celebrate yourself. So get the glass of wine at lunch, get your nails done, go shopping, take a nap, do something for yourself, or heck, don’t do anything at all. Remember, by showing up and loving your people, you are doing a fantastic job.

Maura was born and raised in Hanover County.  A 2014 Hanover High School graduate, Maura served as a class president and captain of the softball team. From Hanover, Maura took off for Harrisonburg where she attended JMU. Maura has three older brothers… you may see a slight resemblance to lead agent, Kevin. When Maura moved back to Richmond, she partnered with the RLT to participate in the Polar Plunge for SOVA.  She got to see first-hand the strong relationships Kevin had with his clients and the good the RLT army was able to do in the community.  For Maura, people are her priority, and Richmond is her home. She is thrilled to help pave the way for a positive transition and an exciting new chapter for her friends and clients.  In her free time, Maura serves as Vice President of the JMU Hart School Alumni Network and volunteers as a Special Olympics Unified Partner and coach. A self-proclaimed French fry extraordinaire, you can find her exploring the Richmond restaurant scene and all the outdoor recreation RVA has to offer.