The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is this the long way?" asked the young mother as she set her foot on the path of life. And the Guide said:
"Yes, and the way is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
The young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike, and reminded them to feed the dog and do their homework and brush their teeth. The sun shone on them and the young mother cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms. The children said,
"Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children,
"A little patience and we are there."
So the children climbed and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world. Year after year she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all unconditional love. And when they reached the top they said,
"Mother, we could not have done it without you."
The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years. The mother grew old and she became little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And the mother, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars and said:
"This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children."
And when the way became rough for her, they lifted her, and gave her strength, just as she had given them hers. One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And Mother said,
"I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and pride, with their heads held high, and so can their children after them." And the children said,
"You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said,
"We cannot see her, but she is with us still."
A mother is more than a memory. She is a living presence. Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a cold winters day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is your birthday morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother shows through in every emotion - happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow - and all the while hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.
She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space - not even death!
~ Written for Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1933 by Temple Bailey ~
-------------------- "Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone; Kindness in another's trouble; And courage in your own." TTFN -laserred- Posts: 493 | From MidWest NorthWoods | Registered: Jan 2005
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bettyg
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I'll add my Mother's poems here sa well. They can be found in SYMPATHY POEMS at the end of TREEPATROL'S NEWBIE LINKS.
MOMMA'S GIFTS The chill you get for no reason at all; Is Momma smoothing your hair. A brush on your face when no one's around? Momma's kiss on your cheek, so dear.
When you feel a warmth come over you With no one else in sight; It's Momma's arms surrounding you And holding you so tight.
That penny you find just lying there When you feel so down and blue; Is Momma saying, "I'm always here, And watching over you!"
A smile you feel deep in your heart When nothing's been said or done, Is Momma whispering in your ear, "I love you, Precious One!" ~ Debbie Edmiaston ~ July 26, 2001 MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED.
MOTHERS NEVER DIE; THEY JUST KEEP HOUSE UP IN THE SKY When we are children, we are happy and gay And our Mother is young and she laughs as we play. Then as we grow up, she teaches us truth And lays life's foundation in the days of our youth. And then it is time for us to leave home But her teachings go with us wherever we roam. For all that she taught us and all that we did When we were so often just a "bad, little kid". We will often remember and then realize That Mothers are special and wonderfully wise. And as she grows older, we look back with love Knowing that Mothers are "Gifts from above". And when she "goes home" to receive her reward She will dwell in God's Kingdom and "keep house for the Lord". Where she'll "light up" the stars that shine through the night And keep all the moonbeams "sparkling and bright". And then with the dawn, she'll put the darkness away As she "scours" the sun to new brilliance each day. So dry tears of sorrow, f or Mother's don't die.. They just move in with God and "keep house in the sky". And there in God's Kingdom, Mothers watch from above To welcome their children with their undying love! By Helen Steiner Rice
IF I COULD TALK TO YOU No more we communicate the way we used to do. There are many things I'd like to say if I could talk to you. I would tell you, Mom, I'm happy that you are free from care; to know you are at perfect rest, safe in HEAVEN up there. It seems so hard to give you up, and yet, you suffered so. How could we ever keep you here; we had to let you go. Our dear Lord came to comfort me, he seemed to understand. He helped me look beyond this world to that dear, precious land. A land where you are safe right now. A place beyond the blue; a place where we shall meet again, where I can talk with you. Anonymous
MY MOTHER Her eyes were a sea of green, She was everything to me. The days of my youth passed so quickly by, Now the time comes to say goodbye. A Mother's love unfailing and true, how can we share love so deep and let go so soon? When does the moment come when all will be calm, and we no longer feel our selfish pain For love does not end but merrily fades to grow yet stronger again. Goodbye my Mother, I say it once again. You taught me in the end not to be scared but to let peace fall down like rain. You are in peace... there is no more pain, and never more will be. I will keep a piece of you in my heart forever, along with the promise we made not to forget each other. By Tammy Barnes Dowell
MOTHERS For those who are lucky to still be blessed with your Mom this is beautiful. For those who aren't, this is even more beautiful.
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.
So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, and taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike and reminded them to feed the dog, and do their homework and brush their teeth.
The sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.
But at all times she said to the children, A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world.
Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all....unconditional love.
And when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you." The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she became little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And the mother, when she laid down at night, looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children."
And when the way became rough f or her, they lifted her, and gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers.
One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill, they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.
And mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and pride, with their heads held high, and so can their children after them."
And the children said, " You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her.
And they said: We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."
Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is Christmas morning.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother shows every emotion.......happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow..... and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.
She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space; not even death! MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED. Author Unknown
You are "A People" A little girl was asked to bring her birth certificate to school one day. Her mother wisely cautioned her about the important document and told her to be especially careful with it. But in spite of her good intentions, the child lost it. When she became aware of its loss, she began to cry.
"What's the problem, Honey?" her teacher asked sympathetically.
The little girl wailed, "I lost my excuse for being born!"
Isn't it wonderful that we don't need an excuse for being born? We need make no apologies for being who we are. Nobody on planet earth is more or less valuable than you. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that, especially when our sense of self-worth is less than it ought to be.
Several years ago, an older friend of mine developed Alzheimer's disease. Bill had lived an active and productive professional life. But in his latter years, his wife cared for him at home. He was aware of his increasing dependency on her and of the debilitating effect of the disease on his mind. Bill gave up everything he had ever done for himself until eventually nothing was left. As his mind suffered, his sense of worthiness also took a beating. He felt as if he were nobody.
There was one group to which he belonged that decided to stay with him during his decline. He sat on the University of Denver Board of Trustees and was encouraged by them to continue attending meetings as long as he was able. One of the board members drove Bill to the meetings and brought him back home afterward. This continued even after he had lost his ability to remember names, track a conversation or participate in any meaningful way. His wife knew that he remained a board member in name only and that their decision to include him was made solely out of compassion. But Bill seemed to enjoy himself at the meetings and she reasoned that they were probably good for him. After he returned from one such meeting of the trustees, his wife asked him, "Did you have a good meeting, Bill?"
He thought for a moment before replying. Then he answered quite honestly, "I don't know." After a pause, he added this heartfelt comment: "But they still think I'm a people."
To them, he was somebody. To them, he mattered. He was still a person of value and worth. He could no longer read or write or do any of the things that had been important earlier. But he was still "a people."
You need make no apologies for being who you are. You are a person of value -- unique and beautiful. You are "a people" -- unrepeatable and of infinite worth. That is something to celebrate! Used with Permission �Steve Goodier
Happy Mother's day to my late Mom and sister, the Mom of 2 kids, 11, and 14, when she died in 1999..
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