Happy Mother’s Day

Holly Bertrand will never forget the day she found out she was going to be a mother for the first time — it was today, Mother’s Day.
“The first time I was pregnant, I actually found out I was pregnant on Mother’s Day, so it was a very special Mother’s Day,” Bertrand said.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, several Eunice mothers shared their favorite Mother’s Day memory and what Mother’s Day means to them.
Bertrand said her most memorable Mothers Day was two years ago when she and her family attended a color run at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
“It’s my most memorable because it was just a fun day with the kids,” Bertrand said. “It wasn’t about cooking or eating. It was just a fun time with the kids. My sister in law and her family were there, too.
“We all went and just ran and played in the color.”
For Bertrand, who is the mother to two daughters and a son, the special day is about spending time with her children and not having a schedule.
“Just relaxing,” she said.  
Valerie Quebedeaux is mother to two girls, and her favorite memory is from a few years ago.
“My sisters, their children, my mother and mother-in-law came to my house for the day,” Quebedeaux said. “It was amazing to have our mothers and my sisters who had just become mothers all together with our children. We spent the day cooking, swimming and visiting.”
Quebedeaux said she has learned so much from her mother and mother-in-law, and she tries to take what she has learned and teach her girls to grow up as strong, independent, loving women.
“In a world filled with chaos, a mother’s love is the one thing that a child can be secure in knowing,” she said. “I still rely on my mothers advice in raising my girls and other life issues.”
For Quebedeaux, Mother’s Day means honoring the women in her life who worked hard to instill core values in other women so that they grow up to be successful, happy, loving, determined women.
“Mothers are expected to juggle work and family without hesitation or reserve,” Quebedeaux said. “It’s not always easy, but we all strive to give our children the best of ourselves.”
To Ardessie Francois, every day is Mother’s Day.
“In my classroom, I stressed to my students that Mother’s Day was a day to do something special for their mothers but that every day is Mother’s Day — that they should do something for their mothers every day, but on Mother’s Day, they should do something special,” Francois said. “Their mothers brought them into this world, and they should honor her and make her feel special because God’s mother was special and we honor her. We should always remember that if not for God’s mother, we would not have mothers.”
Francois said that on Mother’s Day, she thinks about her three mothers — her grandmother, her biological mother and an aunt who raised her.
“All three are very, very dear to me,” she said. “All of them are gone now. Mother’s Day is a day that I hold very, very close to my heart. It’s a special day to me because on that day, I would give them a special honor. I still do, even though they are deceased.”
Francois added, “Mother’s Day is a bright day. It is held in the spring. There are beautiful flowers, it’s a pleasant time of year and a beautiful time of year.”
Francois’s favorite Mother’s Day memory was when she traveled from Eunice to Baton Rouge to surprise the aunt who raised her.
“I surprised my aunt at church,” Francois said. “She didn’t know we were coming. She was surprised to see us at church. They asked for visitors in the church to stand, and it was incredible to see the expression on her face.”
Francois is mother to six children, grandmother to 13 and great-grandmother to one. Francois said she also has another great-grandchild on the way.
Tara Fruge’ LeBlanc likes to spend her Mother’s Day at the ballpark with her two sons.
“I am aware this may sound unusual to a lot of people, but I always remember as a child spending every Mother’s Day playing softball,” LeBlanc said. “Our coaches, which were our dads, would always make sure that every girl on our team had a rose to give our moms on this special day.”
“I would not have my day spent any other way, even if I were able to,” she added.
LeBlanc carried on the rosy ritual when her oldest son began playing ball.
LeBlanc, who also has two grandchildren, said she is looking forward to spending this Mother’s Day at a ballpark in Youngsville watching her youngest son play baseball.
“I cannot imagine my day any other way,” LeBlanc said. “I love watching my boys play baseball. It brings back many wonderful memories of my own childhood.”