I pulled the huge pile of newspapers out of the drawer the other day, and clipped the columns of the past five years. I am amazed at how fast the time has flown by, and how many blessings God has given me to write about. I found several Mother’s Day Writings, and couldn’t help getting teary-eyed while reading them.
This being the first year of my mother’s absence on Mother’s Day; is certainly going to be a challenge for my siblings and me. Even though I know she will always be in my heart and memory, I’ve been feeling the “missing her” pains for the past several weeks. I never expected her to go so soon, but who did? How I wish she was still here.
While reading through the columns, I chose to reuse one that had been published several years ago. I eliminated a bit, but for the most part, it’s the same. I hope you enjoy it again. Here goes:
When Thinking Of Mom, Does Your Heart Smile?
M-O-T-H-E-R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.
--Howard Johnson (c. 1915)
I stole this poem from Howard Johnson who wrote it in 1915. It’s been around awhile and it is still imbedded in my heart and mind. I remember learning it in grade-school and how special it made me feel about my mother back then. As a little girl, in my eyes, my mother could capture the moon. My mom could do anything, or so I thought back then. In fact, I still believe this to be true today.
My mother was a hard-worker. Her days began early before the sun came up and lasted wee into the night (sounds kind-of like the Proverbs 31 woman. She cooked, cleaned and made sure all six (seven including my dad) of us were fed and taken care of. She was a tight mother though. No hanky-panky went on in our house. She knew every move we made – well almost every move. When we woke in the night to get a snack, she knew it. When we didn’t do our chores, she knew it. When we told a lie, she found out about it. And lo and behold, we paid the price for our sins! But she still loved us, in spite of our faults.
Often, my mother had to discipline us. Raising six kids (five of which are girls), while my dad worked two jobs, was not an easy task. Nevertheless, she did it and her famous words that proved she did her best have always been; “None of my girls came home pregnant!”
I’ve spoken of my 4 foot, 9 1/2 inch mother on numerous occasions and I can’t pass up the opportunity to speak of her again because she is the greatest woman (next to my daughter) that has been an influence in my life. Even though she was a bit rough at times, she taught me right.
She taught me to be reverent to God and to love my family. She taught me that sticking with something through rough at times, was far better than giving up. She taught me that laziness never gets you anywhere, and that hard work has its rewards. She taught me forgiveness as she expressed it to me, over and over again.
As I watched her age, witnessing her weaknesses, I’ve learned that priorities need to be set and that some things are just not worth fretting about. She’s shown me that as women, we must slow down before it’s too late (I’m still trying to learn that). One thing for certain she taught me, is that giving is far better than receiving. She never failed to give a sack full of groceries to those less fortunate than we; a model we saw often growing up.
My mother is a woman who was a blessing to many. I wouldn’t have traded her for a million stars in the sky or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She was worth more to me than all the rubies and diamonds this earth can hold. I l will always love her, with all my heart.
Do you have similar memories about and love for your mother? When you think of your mother, whether she is still here or in the sweet by and by, does your heart smile? If yes, praise God. If not, ask God to help create for you good memories with your mother, while there is still time. And if there is no time left, ask God to erase the bad, and bring to mind only good thoughts about her.
“Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her” Proverbs 31:28 NLT
This is a scripture that without a doubt can be said about my mother.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mother, I still love you and always will!
Let’s talk.
Terri can be reached at terriotterman@hotmail.com
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