I’ll be leaving town tomorrow to visit my mom in New Jersey.

I can’t remember the last time that I celebrated with her; it may be as long as 20 years. I’m sure I can count on mom to remind me.

For my regular readers, you know how important my late dad was to me. My mom and I, on the other hand, had a rough time with each other over the years. It’s a long story and probably too personal for me to write about here.

In recent years, I realized that memories and perception were the cause of much of my challenges. Fortunately, I figured that out by the time I turned 50.

Too many people have family challenges that are never addressed. And then, when they lose that important individual in their life, it is too late.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to live with that regret the rest of my life.

Yeah, it is still hard to give my mom a hug, but I do. And mom sure has  gone out of her way in recent years to let me know how much she loves me and how proud she is of what I have been able to accomplish in my life.

I was her first born and, with that, she does have special memories. And my baby photo album is much larger that those of my four siblings. They never let me forget that fact.
As human beings, none of us are perfect. Yet, we often expect parents, teachers, spiritual leaders and the president to be perfect.

As soon as we figure out that impossibility, we can grow and move forward in our lives.

The past is the past, and it cannot be changed.

The only thing we can impact is the present while we only hope that our plans for the future come to fruition.

So if you are like me and have had challenges with an important individual in your life, go out and give them a hug while you can.

Happy Mothers Day!

Michael Bennett is the publisher of Leader Publications.