Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Mother...

A friend sent this to me this past week.  It is beautiful.  Whether you are  a mother or a daughter... whether you are blessed to still have your mother around, or if she has passed on, I think it will touch you.

MOTHER
Author Unknown
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've 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.

My favorite part is the last.  I feel my mom near in times of laughter and tears.  It's all part of the gifts that she instilled in me.  She lived life fully, in good times and in bad.  She faced it with courage, and with her unique sense of humor.  I was blessed to be her daughter.  I hope each of you have been blessed in life with a loving mother.

Images provided by Dawn of The Feathered Nest.  She is such a generous lady!  Please take some time to visit her beautiful blog.  If you are new here, you just click on the highlighted name of her blog and it will take you there.


Have a blessed day!
Nita Jo

11 comments:

Sally said...

How very beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.

I hope someday, when the time comes, that my daughter will think of me in at least some of these ways.

(((hugs)))

The Feathered Nest said...

Oh Nita Jo. You made me cry...this is so breathtakingly beautiful to me sweet friend ~ just precious ~ thank you for making my day angel,
hugs and love,
Dawn

Donna said...

What a lovely post! Thank you, sweetie.

marie said...

What a beautiful poem ~ thank you so much for sharing it. (and thank you Dawn for telling me about it!)

Anonymous said...

Hi Nita, just stopping over from Dawn's blog and I really enjoyed my visit. You're in my google reader now so I won't miss your sweet poems. Take care of yourself today. Smile, Sally

p.s. your Grandpa's lilac tree is gorgeous! ;)

vintage tickled pink said...

i loved the "mother" poem,thank you for posting it it makes me realize although my mom isn't perfect, maybe i just should just appreciate her and the time we have. also more than loved your favorite quote, hope you don't mind i copied it and stole it. haha diane from vintagetickledpink

Lisa said...

Nita Jo,
My dear friend Dawn gave me the link to your blog. Oh that poem has me crying my eyes out. Happy tears tho. I've been in the dumps since Mother's Day. Although I am grateful for my 3 sweet children, this holiday is bitter sweet as I lost my dear Mother 2 years ago on this day. This poem is beautiful & has such special meaning for me. I printed it out so I could remember it always. Thank you for sharing it. Lisa

Vee said...

Dawn sent me...she was right, I should've had a tissue. So beautifully illustrated, too!

Nita Jo said...

I want to thank all of you for your sweet comments. The poem really touched me. My mom has been gone 7 years now. Hard to believe.

Seems like yesterday we were hitting all the yard sales and laughing together. Most days I am at peace with it, as I know where she is... I just still miss her... selfish maybe, but she was such a courageous, funny lady.

I'm glad each of you dropped by!
Blessings!
Nita Jo

Michelle said...

Definitely a tear jerker! My mom passed away when I was 16 and now 23 years later I miss her more than ever! Thanks so much for reminding me she is still so close!

Nita Jo said...

Michelle and Lisa...
I know how you feel. Our mothers are so special to us. Whether it's a day or many, many years... we will still miss them. They are part of us... part of our hearts.

Diane...
I'm so glad you stopped by! I hope you can enjoy your time with your mom. Sometimes we have to look past the exterior and right into the heart.

Our mothers are imperfect, but most really do their best. I know there are things I could have done to have been a better mom... still working on it! Lol! Anyway, I wish you moments of joy with your mom. The little things you can share that makes your relationship unique.

Blessings to all!
Nita Jo