She cupped my face in the deep dark of night
My lips were blue on that September eve
Minutes seemed like hours and I did not breath
But a breath I took and my little life began
Under the motherhood of an amazing woman.
I remember the nightmares and I remember her there
I remember that my bad dreams and fears I could always share.
She calmed my fears
And wiped away the tears.
And always made the silver lining appear
She taught me how to sew and knit
How to ride a bike and stay physically fit
We swam in the summer and we fished at night,
Camping trips and Christmas time was always a highlight
She made home made meals and taught me how to cook
She also taught me that I was more than the sum of how I look
"The heart is the place where real beauty can live,"
And it grows day by day with every sacrificial give.
At 13, when Grandpa was very sick and we thought he might. . .
She brought me there and through tears she and Grandpa made it right.
They made their peace, and I did too.
"real" forgiveness was modeled and nothing less will ever do.
Goodbyes were said in those early December hours
I was unprepared for the pain and the funeral flowers
but Mama was there as I cried tears of sorrow, tears of loss and Mama's own tears would soon follow
She was there, did you hear that? "There" right where I needed her.
through the painfully lonely days of Christmas that year that now are a blur.
The years flew by for her too I'm sure,
She made chicken noodle soup and home made bread in a pan
And I clearly remember conversations about how to recognize a "good" man.
She laughed a lot and sometimes she cried
Looking back now, there were times being brave for us was what she tried.
She worked so hard as a single mom: 3 teenage girls and the dating scene
We often times accused her of being mean.
"The curfew was too early, and I was not late!"
I was almost 15! "Why couldn't I car date?"
But Mama always did what was right, she did what was good,
It was for these ingrained morals that she always stood.
The car keys were a privilege not a right, I soon understood.
Sometimes, I said mean things, and I wrote them too
words of kindness towards my mom in my teens, were few
But Mama didn't give up although she had every reason to
She grounded me once, no maybe twice,
I take that back, the groundings were many and inter spliced
between seasons of different issues in my life.
But she never gave up, no she kept on loving
Kept on protecting, caring and forgiving.
Well, time marches on and now we live oceans away
But Mama is still Mama and her influence in raising me this way.
She's Nana to mine and Grandma to others
But one thing I know, she has always been one of the most amazing mothers!
That's what Mama did. Actually, words can not fully contain it.
I am so thankful that Mama did what she did but mostly just thankful that Mama is who she is.
I love you Mom!
