Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney: Stars Earmark Mother’s Day

Sara Evans on the Orange Carpet at the 43rd Annual ACM Awards, Sunday, May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by David Vespie.

May 8, 2009 — Mother’s Day weekend is one of the busiest periods of the year for florists and phone companies, and some of country music’s biggest stars — including Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans and Martina McBride — will be joining the rest of the nation in remembering their moms.

What they’re saying:

• Kenny Chesney: "I think one of the most important lessons that I’ve from my mom is just, no matter what life throws at you, is just to take a step back and a deep breath and still take life as it comes. She’s been through a lot in her life. And she’s handled it. And she’s come through it, I believe, with a lot of grace and a lot of style. And I’ve learned a lot from that."

• Sara Evans: "My mom instilled in me a sense of humor. And a low-key approach to life. I mean, all she wanted was a farmhouse, a great big farm, and lots of kids. Just a very simple life, you know? And there’s just something so special about that country farm life that you just cannot get anywhere else."

• Miranda Lambert: "My mom is a riot. She’s like, such a party animal. She loves to be on the road with me. She comes out probably once a month. And my family is just great — they’re really cool. They get it, you know? They know when I need my space, but they also know when I need support. So it’s really great to have a family like that."

• Stokes Nielson, of the Lost Trailers: "My mother was a kindergarten piano music teacher. So my earliest memories of school was with my mom teaching my whole class music in kindergarten. And just from the get-go, I connected music with a very warm feeling, a creative feeling. And I always tell my mom she ruined us when she started doin’ kindergarten music because we were just hooked on it!"

• Jake Owen: "If she comes to a show, I may say somethin’ onstage and she says, ‘I don’t know if you should say that anymore on stage. It puts you in a bad light, and I didn’t raise you to be that kind of boy. So I know you’re not like that, you’re just maybe caught in the moment.’ She’s right, and thankfully I have a mom that’s there to correct me."

• Jimmy Wayne: "My mom was a single parent our whole lives. She took care of my sister and I the best way she knew how. My sister and I spent many years in and out of foster care. As an adult, unlike the hostile boy I was then, I can understand better now why it was the way it was. It also makes me appreciate my mom a whole lot more by knowing now and understanding the circumstances that were surrounding her and within her at the time. Regardless of anything, she's my mom and the one that brought me into this world. I love her dearly, and I know that she loves me."