Happy Mother's Day!

"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; 
A mother's secret hope outlives them all."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)  

 

 

 

 

 

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A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and
endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds
of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.
 -- Washington Irving (1783-1859)

                  On Mother’s Day 

As I write this, I am very much aware that my Mother’s Day will be different. It has been for the past five years.  I still celebrate the Day because I have a wonderful daughter and a beautiful grandchild. And I am still the mother of the child that we lost.   But something is missing.  For the mother that grieves the passing of her child, no matter what the age, there is an aching that cannot be fixed.  This is not the way it was supposed to be!  

Well, along my journey of grief, I have come to understand so much about this life that God has given us. From the time of our child’s birth, we are their teachers. We teach them how to walk, teach them proper table manners, social skills, the mysteries of life, how to get up when they stumble - all the things a growing child should know.  We teach them the lessons of life and prepare them to become adults.  It is our job to teach them how to make it on their own without parental supervision. 

And, it is supposed to be the parent leaving this world before the child.   We are supposed to go first and make room for them to follow.  One day in March, Richie and I reversed roles. He made his journey to the other side and I was left here as the child who must struggle and pick myself up when I fall. I was left as the child that is unsure of my way.   The struggle has been a hard one.   Like a child that stumbles and falls, I have to learn to pick myself up when I falter.  And I am getting there slowly.   But along the way, I have come to realize that everyday, God surrounds us with things that we cannot keep. He gives us things that make our lives so wonderful while we have them, just as he gave us our son.  He gives us sunsets, rainbows, the chirping of birds, the stars to light up the sky.  

But we cannot grab that sunset or that rainbow and hold on to it for the following day.  God only gave us the privilege to experience them and wrap our arms around their beauty.  I am sure that it is His way of giving us a glimpse of how beautiful Heaven really is!  And God also gave us the gift of being parents.  It was a gift that enriched my life and so many others. And with that gift, God gave me an experience that will forever be embedded in my heart – the bond of a mother and child. Along with the runny noses and scraped knees, came an ability that would allow me to understand when no one else could, to calm fears and dry tears. It gave me a chance to experience what is meant by unconditional love. 

Of course, I have learned to celebrate Mother’s Day in a different way. I will look for a sunset and listen for the chirping of a bird and think of it as a divine gift that says, “Mom, you’re the greatest.”  And I will know that the brightest star that I see that night was surely intended for me.  And I will read and re-read that one last card that I received on Mother’s Day that says your loving son, Richard, and cherish it, knowing that it has to last me a lifetime.  But I also will remember that the greatest gift of all was the gift that God gave to me when he made me a mother. And, I will pray and hope that our pain will turn to a deeper understanding of the world around us.  I hope that we will have a deeper joy in knowing that our child has not left us completely.  I hope that we can look at that next rainbow or sunset and realize that it is a glimpse of beautiful things to come. So, on “my” day,  I will remember the gift that I received, even though it was only for awhile.  But I know that I will one day get it back.  And I will remember all the joy that I have experienced, just by being “Mom.”                   

    

         

Quotations

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."
 -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."
-- Jewish proverb

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother."
-- Lin Yutang

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which
 you will always find forgiveness."
-- Honore' de Balzac (1799-1850)

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and
physical education I received from her."
-- George Washington (1732-1799)

"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not
have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class."
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1907- )

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom."
 -- Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life."
-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
--Author Unknown

 

       

    

                   

"How beautiful the world would be if all loved one 
another as a mother loves her own"
-
John Gray

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