PRINTS OF ELBOWS ON MY BED
I was but a youth and thoughtless,
As all youths are apt to be;
Though I had a Christian mother
Who had taught me carefully.
There came a time when pleasure
Of the world came to allure,
And I no more sought the guidance
Of her love so good and pure.
Her tender admonitions fell
But lightly on my ear,
And for the gentle warnings
I felt an inward sneer.
But Mother would not yield her boy
To Satan's sinful sway,
And though I spurned her counsel
She knew a better way.
She made my room an altar,
A place of secret prayer,
And there she took her burden
And left it in His care.
And morning, noon and evening
By that humble bedside low,
She sought the aid of Him who
Understands a mother's woe.
And I went my way unheeding,
Careless of the life I led,
Until one day I noticed
Prints of elbows on my bed.
Then I saw that she had been there
Praying for her wayward boy,
Who for love of worldly pleasure
Would her peace of mind destroy.
Long the conflict raged within me,
Sin against my Mother's prayers,
Sin must yield - for Mother never
While she daily met Him there.
And her constant love and patience
Were like coals upon my head,
Together with the imprints
Of her elbows on my bed.
And so at last the fight was won,
And I to Christ was led,
And Mother's prayers were answered
By her elbows on my bed.

A MOTHER'S WALK
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, and gathered flowers for them
along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, 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 when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."
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 fortitude in the face of hardness.
Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall� and strong and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond 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 alone, and 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 bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. 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 and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you...not time, not space...not even death!


A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said: For cutting the grass: $5.00 For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00 For going to the store for you: .50 Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: .25 Taking out the garbage: $1.00 For getting a good report card: $5.00 For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00 Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote: For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge. For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge. For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge. For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge. Son., when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you". And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL"










HERE ARE SOME of the things that motherhood certainly teaches, and parents everywhere learn every day:
Kids have a short attention span for almost everything but TV.
Bad habits are acquired very quickly, while the good ones take ages to instill.
No matter how late your child stays up, and how late he usually sleeps on weekdays, he will never sleep late on a weekend.
If it can spill, it will.
No matter how you butter the toast, cut the apple or peel the banana, if you don't first ask your child how she wants it served this time, you'll undoubtedly do it the wrong way and your child will refuse to eat it.
Your child may eat nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for three meals a day, but one day he will look at the sandwich you just made and say, "Yech! I hate peanut butter!" Guaranteed, that will be the day you're already late for school and there's nothing else in the house. (Of course, it will also be the day after you bought a dozen jars of peanut butter on sale).
Your child will become very forgetful when you ask her to do something for you; but promise her a treat or surprise and she'll suddenly develop the memory of an elephant.
Your child will rarely come home from school or camp with the same clothes, toys or lunchbox that you sent him with in the morning.
The more money you spend on an educational toy, the more likely it is that your child will be more interested in playing with the box that it came in.
If you slip once and say a four_letter word, it will instantly become your emerging_talker's favorite word; plus she will pick the most inappropriate times to repeat it.
A white shirt only stays pure white for the first five minutes after you put it on a child under the age of 10.
When you're away from home, you may think you've brought everything but the kitchen sink with you, but your child will want the one thing you forgot.
If you're on a long car trip with more than one child, they will never have to use the bathroom at the same time.
If it can be taken apart by a child, it will, and the one piece that makes it work will be missing when you try to put it back together again.
The book that you find most annoying will become your child's favorite and you'll have to read it several times every night. (This also holds true for Barney videos.)
Say "Watch out!" or "Be Careful!" to a child and watch him try exactly what you just advised against.
If your child brings home one glitter picture her whole life, you will keep finding the sparkly stuff in the house for years to come.
The pockets in your child's pants that you check before doing the wash, will be empty. The ones that you missed will contain already_chewed gum; tissues; clay, crayons and other messy objects that will completely ruin all the other clothes in the washing machine.
If the house is silent when your child is awake, he's probably up to something.
What my mother taught me......
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"
15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
� There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
" Just wait until we get home."
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"
18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, They are going to freeze that way."
19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
" Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
25. And my favorite : my mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"


IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN!
This is a mom's version of IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE:
If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of
Hamburger").
The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her
two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

[This message has been edited by weeza3 (edited 13 May 2005).]

and "What my mother taught me......" was words out of MY mom's mouth, HA! startled me the first time one of those phrases came out of my mouth to my own kids

You have a good memory I must say. Yes, we have a wonderful 6ft. high black aluminum type fence that looks like wrought iron but won't rust!
All 3 dogs are safely contained, or is it that the public is safely contained from them. Just kidding, they're fine with humans, it's dogs they fuss at.

When does Chad get leave? Soon i hope. I can only imagine you'll start cooking his favorites to freeze for him? What are his favorite types of food when he's home?

My son really likes Thai food while he's living in Ca. very authentic there.

Chad is on his way to Kuwait for a 4 day furlow. he was REALLY looking forward to that! not like home, but at least he gets a break from bomb search and destroy missions, the constant threat of sniper fire (high risk of that in what he has been doing), incoming mortar every night in camp

4 days 3 nights (?) of some semblence of "peace", AHHHH!

they drew names, like a lottery thing, for when they take leave (to come home - 2 weeks). he drew last 'place' he was so disappointed. that means maybe october, or may not even get to. can you just imagine how hard it would be to go back tho? oh man!

Ha Ha, he is always thinking of others, he said when he gets his leave he is going to take back a cooler of steaks (with dry ice) and some charcoal for a cookout for his battalion

he has been 'active' since last august, away here and there for specific training. then the whole unit was deployed in october. they were sent first to oklahoma for readiness training, home for Christmas, then overseas new years day - where they may be for another year, or maybe home this next Christmas. i hope for that - or sooner, but healthy, on his own 2 feet

aside from the worry, i miss him so much.