No words can express the love and admiration I have for my mother. She is the most loving person in the world.

Through her love for me I have learned to love. From her strength I have learned to be strong. From her nuturing I have learned to nuture. She has been my inspiration to be the best that I possibly can be.

Mom was always a very hard working lady working as a spinner in a cotton mill for 20 years and then at a psychiatric hospital for some 20 odd years.

As we are growing up we don't realize what our parents go without so that we might have. Mom needed new shoes but I got them. When Mom was sick she had to work to help Dad provide for us. She would work 8 hours a day and come home and clean, take care of my brother and I and still have supper on the table when Dad came home from work. She would then do the dishes and give us baths getting us ready for bed before she could even think of sitting down to relax.

It wasn't until I married and had children of my own that I realized what a tough job it was to be a Mom. My children have honored me by giving me a plaque with the following poem. And now I would like to share it with you and dedicate it to my Mother for I now understand how hard it is to be a Mom.

What Mom Took

Most often when we think of Mom,
We think of what she's given;
The softness of a loving touch,
A gentle guide for living;
A nightly tiptoe in a room,
An understanding look;
But, sometimes when I think of Mom
I think of what she took.

She took a child and taught it how
To live this life with pride
She took those kindergarten tears,
And kept them all inside.
She took the hands that longed to hold
Her child and not let go
And used them to push her child along
The way, to thrive and grow.

Took the time to do some other things
Like sew, and clean and cook,
And never thought to ask for thanks
For all the things she took.
Thanks Mom.

Judith Bond © 1987

Mom, I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow. My thanks and appreciation go out to you for all you have done for me. You are the Best.

Love Always, Jean

On November 2, 2001 Mom passed away. She is now with Dad watching over us. We love and miss you more than you ever will know.

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