Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to all you mom's out there! I hope you had a great day, smiled and were proud that you are a mom. I am. Here is a poem I just received and had to send it on to you all....

MOTHERS and MOMS

This is for 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 okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

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 DON'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 the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' 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 and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.

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 the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, 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 mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent 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 all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

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 in her heart?
Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation...

And for 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. For all of us...

Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother...

'Home is what catches you when
you fall - and we all fall.'

Please pass this to a
wonderful mother you know.

(I just did!)

love, shawndra

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Mothers Day to you too! And to Mom and Grandma. I hope you had a wonderful day. Being a Mom is a great profession, don't ever think you are missing out on something now that you are not working outside the home. The rewards you get "working" at home far exceed any you could get at any other job. Not to mention the rewards Ella gets having you there. For the working Moms, this by no means is meant as anything negative. You have to find that extra energy to balance two jobs. Hats off to all the Mommies!

Anonymous said...

Sorry Andrea, I didn't include you in the Mothers Day happiness!

Anonymous said...

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day - you deserve it!

Love, d

Anonymous said...

Shawndra-

Happy Mother's Day to you! We hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day with your family. Thank you for sharing your journey with us all! Your amazing mother! Keep Believing!

The Mudge's

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day with Punks and that round two (that was yesterday, right?) doesn't knock you down too hard. Keep on fightin' chicks!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the beautiful poem. The moms of the world don't get near enough credit.

Happy Mother's day to you!

Love, Marny

Anonymous said...

Shawndra- That was a wonderful poem thank you for sharing it!! Happy Belated Mother's Day. : ) it is a wonderful, amazing thing- being a parent. Hope you are feeling OK this week. Kick some cancer bootie-
Love you and you are in our prayers daily.
Looking forward to seeing you next Friday.
xo ADL