Just thought you might like this, as I just opened this from my brother in my email. Not sign-related, but, I felt it was worthy of being posted here. Hope it stirs some emotion up in you too.
If you send this to just one person, it should make it all the way around the world by Mother's Day.
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."
Who walk around the house all night with their babies when they 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.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer 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 yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.
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.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
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 off spring are at home.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed - when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
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 fire, a car accident, a child dying?
For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.
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.
This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.
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 Mom's in your life.
"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."
Kelly Fowler
Posted by david drane (Member # 507) on :
Beautifully worded Deb. Only you could come up something like that. You really are the nicest lady in Letterville. God bless you.
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Same goes for some of us muthers also,.....
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
I know what Timi is about ... been there!
I was "mum" (and Dad) to a 4 year old son and trying to run a business after the ex-wife walked out the door with half of everything!
Fortunately we all survived Me, son and business!
My mum is special too. Taught me to survive. Her husband walked out the door too,disappeared for years, leaving her with 3 sons (me the oldest at 12), we grew up fast from there! No Social Security or any chance of alimony in those days. She had to find a job quick or we starved. I learned cooking and house-cleaning in a big hurry hahahahaha
When we get older us "old sign farts incorporated" ... have to realise our "mothers" have at least 20 years on us. They are really in the twilight of their years and every moment is precious. I try to phone mum in New Zealand at least once a week. She loves the contact.
So, to me, "mothers day" is everyday. Not one goes past when I don't think of her.
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
[ May 11, 2003, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
Posted by Bill&Jane Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
Deb, I'm sitting here with tears running down my cheeks after that one! I cry easy but it was ver touching! Thanks for posting that! You didn't write it? Who is Kelly, your Mom or daughter? JANE (not Bill)
Posted by Bill&Jane Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
I read the first part and then started to cry and didn't read your second post about it being your brother....DUH!! Sorry about that question. It really was touching, though. WHAT a GUY!! Hope his wife & mother-in-law appreciate him! It is clear you do! Thanks for sharing that with all of us! Jane
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Mom's are the best!
Mine has always been the "wind beneath my wings" for me.
And I have noticed that the older I get, the smarter she gets!
Posted by Kathy Joiner (Member # 1814) on :
Deb, thanks for sharing that with us.
My opinion of Mr. Moms and male care givers is very high. Women are created to nuture, so it comes more naturally to us. Whether a man is raising children, caring for the elderly, or a sick spouse, I feel there is more effort and love put into the job. So... hat's off to the guys like your brother and folks like Timi and Jon.
I watched my amazing brother help us take care of our Mom while she was dying and he was wonderful. I have two brothers in law who took very good care of their wives and it is a sacrifice.
There is Mother's Day, Grand Parent's Day, why not a special day for Men who have gone the extra mile (miles and miles and miles)?
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Jane, the poem is written by someone I have never met, it came in on the internet to my brother, I believe.
And he, like Timi and Bushie are to be commended for their love for the kids. Kathy, I absolutely have a deep respect and bond to all of the guys also. I like your idea!!! Let's do it!!
It is great we can lean on each other for support, isn't it? There are some more of you that I know are struggling to take care of adopted or other kids if not your own, even a stray pet that is without parents, and this sometimes goes unnoticed in our everyday lives. Some of us on this very board, but even here, we have more in common than we think, huh?
[ May 01, 2003, 11:04 PM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
....Hey Deb! Now I recognize you! Very sweet tho'ts.......I lost my Mom about 2 years ago, who became my best friend when I became a Mom, and who was my greatest supporter and encourager! Her greatest gift to me was tenacity. I always miss her. You only have one Mom!
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
Hi Deb! Boy aren't Mom's the best! I am lucky to have a kind, thoughtful, strong, fun Mom. Many times we have laughed til we cried. (Grandma was the same way) Grandma came from a farm in Minnesota and had the most fabulous garden. Mom lives close by in the next city and she too has the most lush garden! (Mine is getting there!!!) I have peonies both my Mom and Grandma gave me from 30 years ago that I have moved whenever we moved to a new house. They are beautiful! When my Mom comes to visit ...we spend most of the visit looking at all the new plants. On Mother's Day I will give my Mom a big colorful flowering plant. Because that's how I will always think of her. Strong, colorful and so giving.
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Bump.
[ May 11, 2003, 12:22 AM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
Posted by Roy Frisby (Member # 736) on :
I visited my mom today to wish her a happy Mother's Day. As I stood there talking to her, I found myself apologizing for all the pain and worry that I had caused her. Thanked her for all the prayers she must have prayed as I struggled to breath during that first year of life. I told her how much I love her and how much I miss her and Dad. I somehow felt that I could hear her voice in the soft breeze blowing across that old country cemetery where five generations of my family rest.
If your Mom is still with you, hug her and tell her you love her!
Happy Mothers' Day
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
hey Roy.....I will do that! My sister and I are making Mom brunch at her house in a couple hours. It is going to be a beautiful day!
Have a great Mother's Day everybody!
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Roy, what beautiful words!
I can relate to your feelings as my Mother and Father are at rest also nearby here, along with family. Mom and Dad always told us to be happy and enjoy our kids when they wouldn't be around. I can see her smiling today down on us as we sat down to dinner and snuggled with the kids. My daughter and her hubby and three little girls invited us to share the day. My two sons and myself along with her inlaws from Chicago came in to share the day and the beauty of the motherhood, A mother/daughter/family celebration. My granddaughters performed gymnastics, ballet, and Harry Potter flying after a wonderfully simple dinner! We played scrabble too, but I only scored half. Perhaps I was looking at the letters deciding to change the fonts from that century schoolbook instead of thinking of winning. The fresh air after the storm last night invigorated our senses too, a great day to be indoors, a kind of closeness not always accomplished outside. Happy Mother's Day
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Me, son and business!