angelwhispers

For all the moms

This was sent to me by a very good friend this morning.
When was the last time you called your mother just to tell
her that you love her?

This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on
metal bleachers at football games Friday night instead
of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did
you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have
missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all 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 OK
honey, Mommy's here."

This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the
night and can't find their children. This is for the
mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And
the mothers who took those babies and made them homes.

For all the mothers of the victims of the Colorado
shooting, and the mothers of the murderers. 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.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and
sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

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 heart? Is it the ache you feel when you
watch your son or daughter disappear down the street,
walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt
that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2
A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The
need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when
you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car
accident, a baby dying?

So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their
children and explained all about making babies. And for
all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.

This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night
for a year. And then reading it again. "Just one more
time.

This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at
their kids in the grocery store and swat them in
despair and stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old
who wants ice cream before dinner

This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to
tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for
all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

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

Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep
crying and won't stop.

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.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to
cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically
when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though
they know their own offspring are at home.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on
their children's graves.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray,
who can't find the words to reach them.

This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to
school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just
FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the
school nurse and hour later asking them to please pick
them up. Right away.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation. And 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.

So hang in there. Please pass along to all the moms in
your life.

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

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