I remember my mom having a collection of hats she stored under her bed.
For any occasion that could arise…she had a hat to set atop her head.
Moms of today are different…often they go out with their heads bare
because of this we don’t often realize…all the hats they wear.
If we tried to count all their hats...we can’t…for the list goes on indefinitely
perhaps one way to approach it...would be alphabetically.
Moms are Accountants, Babysitters, Chauffeurs...They do what Doctors, and Electricians do
They are Farmers, Governors, Housekeepers, and Ice cream vendors too.
They are Janitors, Kitchen and Laundry workers, and Maids who clean the floor.
They are Nurses, Optometrists, Painters, Quality control inspectors…there’s more.
They are Receptionists, Seamstresses, Teachers…Umpires…and not always soft spoken…they are Valets, Wardens, X-Ray technicians who can tell if that bone is broken.
They are Youth counselors and every Mom I know is a keeper of the Zoo
If you’re keeping track that’s 26 different hats...26 different jobs that all Moms do.
Moms are the original and still the best multitaskers the world has ever met.
In fact, I didn’t run out of hats for them...I ran out of alphabet.
I guess it’s a good thing each job doesn’t have a hat that sits atop Moms head
for there wouldn’t be enough room to store them in boxes beneath their beds.
They are visionaries, they are cheerleaders, so much of our existence they adorn
yet they had no experience being a mom until their first child was born.
For it was at that miraculous moment in a panic mixed with calm
when the doctor handed them their baby and said, “Congratulations…you’re a Mom!”
And to any Mom who might not have given birth…might not have been there from the start…here’s to all the Mom hats you’ve worn once you opened up your heart.
Do you remember that miraculous feeling…with a mixture of panic and calm…
whether you chose the moment…or the moment chose you…
when you became a Mom?
And therein lies the hat that encompasses all the rest...the hat called motherhood
and to all you Moms out there…I must admit…you make that hat look good.
So to all the Moms everywhere,
here’s wishing you a wonderful Mother’s Day…for all the things you do…
for all the many hats you wear…
our hats are off to you.
MOM! How many times a day is it uttered? How many times is it heard? So I thought I’d take a look at the evolution of that word.
As babies we learn quickly who comes to look us in the eye and give us everything we need…the moment that we cry.
When we notice she keeps coming back…whenever we call her…night or day…Is it any wonder why MOM is the first word we ever learn to say?
We realize the importance of that word…from the moment we first choose it…and how it changes in it’s meaning…almost every time we use it.
MOM! I’m hungry. When do we eat?…MOM! Is that a butterfly or a bee?…MOM! I can’t find my favorite toy…MOM! I fell down and scraped my knee.
MOM! Can I have a friend sleep over? MOM! Today I got into a fight. MOM! I need help with my homework…MOM! Do I have to brush my teeth tonight?
MOM! Is it OK if I borrow the car? Yes, I have a date. MOM! I know…I know…I know…MOM! I won’t be home too late.
MOM! Hi, yes it’s me…no worries…college is a breeze…but I was wondering, if you have the time…MOM! could you send some money…please?
MOM! I’m coming home this weekend…at the dinner table…can you set another seat…I’m bringing home someone special…I’d like you and Dad to meet.
MOM! We’re getting married…Could you help us plan our wedding day? MOM! Guess what…it happened…you’re a grandmother today.
MOM!…it’s been a while…everything’s fine…just wanted to hear your voice today…
MOM is sick!…She’s asking for me…tell her I’m on my way.
MOM!…I’m going to miss you…MOM!…I know you said don’t cry…
MOM!…don’t go…I’m not ready…MOM I don’t want to say goodbye.
I guess we never know from the first time we smile up at her…the first time we feel her touch…that a word that seems so simple…will come to mean so much.
Her eyes have a loving glow to them…her smile a certain charm
but the best place to feel her love is inside our mother’s arms.
From the first time we step into them they fit around us like a glove
providing us with all we need…
when all we need…
is love
And showing us, as we grow older,
anytime
and anywhere
when we step back into our mother’s arms...
we’ll find some comfort there.
One day we’ll return the favor.
We’ll know when…and where
when she steps into our open arms and finds some comfort there.
And she will feel in that moment
how our arms fit around her like a glove
providing her with all she needs
when all she needs…
is love.
And when she’s no longer with us
when we close our eyes we'll find…
we still can feel that warm embrace…
her arms have left behind.
Yesterday we celebrated mothers with a Facebook shout out or a tweet
we called them, gave them gifts…perhaps we took them out to eat.
And it is wonderful to honor the person who first sent us on our way
but today always make me think about the other side of Mother’s Day.
There is an interweave of feelings for some as they celebrate Mother’s Day
Happy their mom was in their lives…sad she’s passed away.
Sad she’s not here to see our shout out or our tweet
Sad she cannot receive our call, our gift…or go with us out to eat.
Because the moment she is no longer with us…the moment she ceases to be here
Mother’s Day will alway be a mix of happiness…and tears.
We are happy for all the memories…all those hopes and dreams she spawned
Yet sad knowing memories are all that’s left now that she’s gone.
Perhaps this is the best way to think about our Moms as we move from year to year
Remembering a lifetime of memories…
with a smile…
and a tear.
When I was young my mom, like most women, donned a hat when she went out.
Dad said it added to her beauty…of this I had no doubt.
My mom had a collection of hats she stored in boxes under her bed.
So many different kinds of bonnets that sat atop her head.
Moms of today are different they go out with their heads bare
but one thing they share with Moms of the past are the many hats they wear.
If we tried to count the hats they don...we couldn’t...they go on indefinitely
Perhaps one way to approach it...is alphabetically.
Moms are:
Accountants
Babysitters
Chauffeurs...they do what
Doctors and
Electricians do…they are
Farmers
Governors
Housekeepers, and
Ice cream makers too…they are
Janitors
Kitchen and
Laundry workers, and
Maids who clean the floor…they are
Nurses
Optometrists,
Painters
Quality control inspectors and furthermore they are
Receptionists
Seamstresses and
Teachers…they can
Upholster that sofa or that chair…they are
Valets
Washroom Attendants and
X-Ray technicians…ready anytime and anywhere…they are
Yard managers and every Mom I know is also a keeper of the
Zoo
That’s 26 different hats they wear…
26 different jobs that all Moms do.
Moms are the original and still the best multi-taskers the world has ever met.
In fact, I didn’t run out of hats for them...I ran out of alphabet!
I guess it’s a good thing each job doesn’t have a hat that sits atop Moms head
for there wouldn’t be enough room to store the boxes under their beds.
They are visionaries, they are cheerleaders, so much of our existence they adorn
yet they had no experience as a mother until the day when we were born.
Because it was at that miraculous moment, despite their fearfulness and qualms
when they smiled as they looked at us and realized……’I’m a Mom.’
For that is the hat that encompasses the rest...the hat we call motherhood
and I must admit, from where I stand
Moms…you make that hat look good.
So Moms, here’s to a wonderful Mother’s Day as this poem bids you all adieu
For all the many hats you wear…
our hats are off to you.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
When you were born you were so tiny.
I was already taken with your charms.
We both began to cry until they put you in my arms.
I think I know what made us stop.
It was easy for me to see.
We both could hear the music of two hearts in harmony.
When you were born you couldn’t talk…but to my surprise
You seemed to say so much to me…when I looked into your eyes.
When you were born you couldn’t walk.
You didn’t have a clue…
but that didn’t matter because anywhere we went…I would carry you.
When you grew up…began walking on your own
I was there to guide you
and as you became more independent…I was proud to walk beside you
When you grew up…you didn’t stop talking
but, to my surprise
I still found so much meaning…when I looked into your eyes.
Even now, when you’re upset
If I hold you close to me
We both calm down when we feel…two hearts in harmony.
And after all these years and all life’s changes
I’m still just as taken with your charms…
as I was the day when you were born
the day they put you in my arms.
As I was the day you began to crawl…
the day you began to walk…
The day you smiled at me with your eyes…
the day you began to talk…
And even though we’re not as together
as we once used to be
In quiet moments I still feel it…
don’t you?
two hearts in harmony.
She’s no longer here…but I like to keep her near
because that’s what children do
So when I have the time…sometimes in poem…sometimes in rhyme
I like to relive a memory…or two
Like how she always found a way…at least a little every day
to be patient, kind-hearted…nice
How all the time that she was living she could be so darn forgiving
How she lived a life of love and sacrifice.
Like how she loved to read a book…boy how she could cook
How she was not afraid to weep
how she would at no time partake of that final piece of cake
and I always wondered…when did she find the time to sleep?
How she jumped at every chance…to sing, to laugh to dance
If there was a stain upon on the floor then she would clean it.
How when I’d berate her…or told her how I hate her
She knew deep in her heart…I didn’t mean it
How she bought my new clothes first…I never reimbursed
yet, somehow, she was never out of style
And what about those nights…when I’d wake up in a fright
how she could erase a bad dream with just her smile.
She treated my friends old or new like they were family too
She seemed to make the whole world bright
And when things started to look bad…when I was hurting…feeling sad
She brought color to my world of black and white.
How her impact never died…she continues today to guide
my heart, my soul, my world and how I view it.
I hope she understood there were…so many times that I looked up to her
but in my heart and soul…I’m pretty sure she knew it.
Despite the fact she’s gone…I could go on and on
and I will when I am by myself…alone
But I’m sure each one of you have your remembrances too
so I’ll leave room now…for memories of your own:
As we sit alone together inside our hospital room
It was only but one day ago I held you in my womb.
And today although you’re still too young to fully understand
In what truly is a miracle…I’m holding you in my hands.
How fast we must adjust…adapt…how swiftly we rearrange
This is your first life lesson…how quickly life can change.
There will come a day you no longer fit inside my hands…but do not be too alarmed
because there will never come a time…you don’t fit inside my arms.
You see there’s something magical about a mother’s love…that all your life holds true
It doesn’t matter how big you grow…my love will grow with you.
So as I stare into your eyes today….I find it easy to admit
from my womb, to my hands, to my arms…you are a perfect fit
And I promise I will love you…and be captivated by your charms
as long as I am living…as long as you fit inside my arms.
She gives us life…she loves us…despite our numerous mistakes…
It’s how we learn about love…by watching every move she makes.
She is beautiful in our eyes, she is patient, giving…kind
and from the moment of our births…our lives are intertwined.
Her love is immediate and eternal we perceive it everywhere
It’s rooted in our bones, our hearts…we can feel it in the air.
Her greatest joy is seeing ours…one smile is all it takes
and she is many times defined…by the sacrifices that she makes.
She is irreplaceable…there is something so beautiful…
so wonderful about her
and along the way we realize we cannot live without her.
We may grow up up and go away…but there will come a day when
we find our way back to her and fall in love again.
It is then we realize everything she’s done…
we’re grateful, appreciative and thus
we want to take great care with her…
the way she cares for us.
Yes, she is vitally important to us…
from the moment of our birth…
she gives us life,
she helps us breathe…
she is our mother…
Earth.