Posted on 04/16/2002 8:13:12 PM PDT by TenthAmendmentChampion
This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here." when they keep crying and won't stop.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who can't.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home or away at college.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.
This is for needy mothers who were unselfish enough to give up their children for adoption, and who blessed the strangers who adopted those children and did all these wonderful things, all the while aching inside because they could not be there to do them themselves.
What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves. This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation.
And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. So hang in there. Please pass along to all the Moms in your life.
"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."
As I've said before you may never know the numbers of those you have helped along life's journey. May God continue to give you your heart's desires.
This was definately needed tonight after a knock down drag out argument with my son. Well ok, I argued he listened. :)
"For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This made me smile and think of my Jonah. When he was two he loved this poem:
I see the moon and the moon sees me.
God bless the moon and God bless me.
Oh my goodness, I think I said that poem 3 dozen times a night for him. "Again, again, again, Mommy". LOL
I love my kids more than anything in the world. There are just no words for it.
The real thanks is to the loving God who gave me three precious gifts - two sons, followed by 7 years of rest and then a daughter!
Thanks, guys, for your unflinching good cheer while taking off for the wild blue yonder with regularity - all those new schools where you were the 'new kid.'
Thanks for believing Mom when I assured you there would be new friends ahead, and new adventures!
It was you who made the most of South Dakota and 'The Hawk' - the drive to Fairbanks from there in the dead of winter, through Canada, around the end of the Rockies and over the Alaska Highway.
We muddled through the 50 below temps together, and watching for moose and bears when you went out to play instead of the snakes in Florida; you survived the Good Friday Earthquake with equanimity; shared with us both darkness most of the winter hours and around-the-clock sunlight all summer - the wonders of the Aurora Borealis, and camping that week above the Arctic Circle and then going on to Mt. McKinley, never complaining about the discomforts and chores of tent life.
You made each new place memorable, making the transitions with grace and No Whining!
You boys, that year in Myrtle Beach. SC when your Dad was in Southeast Asia and your sister in kindergarten, stepped up to the plate and excelled in school (where Mom was part of the staff and you were REALLY under pressure!); and then got real summer jobs to supplement the low military pay, just 13 and 14 years old.
(Thought we would never eat another cheeseburger from those leftover ones your understanding boss pressed upon us - even the dog turned up his nose by summer's end!...)))
Then it was on to Charleston and another school, followed by leaving service and returning to Florida for still others in civilian life.
You always came through, accepting the changes and made the most of it all.
After that you made it entirely on your own, making your way through college
and succeeding in all you did.
Most of all, you have huge hearts and know the secret of life - in followng God, you will never lose your way.
You serve Him and your families and your fellow Man, demonstrating the love He has given you.
Jennifer, last year just a week before Christmas when JoAnn received $1,700 for her Secret Santa Project and couldn't possibly shop for the last 37 kids - you and Bill stepped up (even with full-time work and three children) to buy 2-3 presents for EACH of those children; including 14 bicycles Bill assembled!
And volunteered to to do more next year!
Thank you, Lord, for these three precious gifts; the strength and wisdom to steer them through their childhoods; and the utter joys at this end of life, seeing them as always having been Your Children.
I know what a wonderful mom you are to your children, and I'm honored to have been remembered by you.
And to my Mom, who also drug kids across Europe, Africa, and the US following her AF husband...your tireless self-sacrifice and patient guidance paid off. Your three sons became good and honorable men of whom you can be very proud.
Thanks, Mom.
No, thanks to YOU mom. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I've met so many people who have barely ventured a few hundred miles from home. Because of you and Dad, I've had the most amazing experiences! I frequently think back and reminisce -- fond memories indeed. So many opportunities for exploration and discovery. I strongly feel I've benefited in a multitude of ways; a constant quest for knowledge and improvement. A keener awareness of the world around me, and an innate need to serve others. I wouldn't trade anything for my experiences.
Thanks mom. I love you.
Love,
Mom
The story at the top made me think of my sister who gave her baby up for adoption. God bless her sweet heart.
(We are moving this Friday to Florida. Keep us in your prayers. We sure do need them).
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