To Mothers and Others

Photo:My Mom, Brother and Me around 1952

Mothers hold so much power in the lives

of children. They can mold their children into
 
loving, giving, caring adults. They can teach them
 
right from wrong, warn them about the dangers of the world,

then stand back and see if all their hard work

and dedication was a success. When it is,

children will let you know.



There are good mothers and bad mothers and mothers
 
who did the best they could, but good mothers are
 
a special gift.




I dedicate this page to all the "good" mothers

and grandmothers out there. Your love and devotion

is appreciated more than you'll ever know.





A Mother's Love

Take away the treasures, 
the photos and the lace,
Take away the teddy bears 
that decorate the place,

Now close your eyes and picture
the memories tucked away,
Of laughter and of music 
that echoed here each day.

Take away the children 
who danced across this floor,
Take away the fingerprints 
that kissed each wall and door,

Now close your eyes and picture 
a young girl sitting there
Rocking a tiny baby 
with lullaby and prayer.

Take away the struggles, 
the tears that she has cried,
Take away her hopes and dreams 
then take away her pride.

Now close your eyes and tell me 
what is it that you see?
The spirit of a mothers love 
that lasts eternally.





Photo:Me and My Children




Hide-and-seek Child

Where did my little boy go,
the cheerful one I use to know
who’d run and play without a care?
I can not find him anywhere.

I thought I saw him yesterday
when I looked out across the way,
a little boy beside the tree
playing hide-and-seek with me.

He disappeared without a trace
but I still see his smiling face
and feel his hand as he touched me
once upon a memory.

I blinked and he became a man.
It was not something I had planned,
but children grow so quick it seems
as if they’re only ours in dreams.



The Age of Innocence 

A little child with much to give,
and still his whole life to live,
can look at life with purity,
befriend a bird, a beast, a tree.
He’ll touch, hear, see, and
taste without a quantity of haste.
And in his youthful innocence--
miracles need not make sense.
To be a child’s his only care,
of grownup things, he’s unaware.
He knows not good or bad you see,
a child is all he wants to be.
So parents guard your little ones,
precious daughters, beloved sons,
for they possess pure poetry,
when they are six or eight or three.






Once A Tiny Child

Where once a tiny child walked
upon these wooden floors,
now only wee shadows waltz
swiftly through the doors.

Finger prints are wiped away
with Kool-Aid grins and tears,
where once a tiny child walked
and quickly disappeared.

Packed away in attic trunks,
their teddy bears and toys,
where once a tiny child walked;
dear little girls and boys.

Time will never take away
memories that remain
where once a tiny child walked
to make me smile again.





Photo:Me and Granddaughter Haleigh




Little Things

I remember the little things
that once were only mine,
a homemade heart you
brought from school,
a “mommy” valentine,
fingerprints on window panes,
footprints on my rugs,
a little note you wrote to me,
 soft and cuddly hugs.

I remember the little things
that I shall always miss,
a dandelion bouquet for me,
a smile, a laugh, a kiss,
Kool-aid smiles of berry blue,
popsicle grins of red,
good night kisses on my cheeks,
my ears, my neck, my head.

I remember the little things,
that can’t be bought or sold.
Those sweet, sweet babies God gave to me,
were more precious than pure gold.

I remember the little things
that use to make me smile,
three daughters and a son were mine,
for just a little while.



Memories Such As These

As I look back on the years gone by
there are so many memories
that bring such joy to this heart of mine,
memories such as these;
A little boy with a teddy bear
that he carried with him everywhere,
and two little feet that skipped and ran,
oh I how I loved that little man.

Then three little girls came on the scene.
They wore  pretty dresses that were never clean
but they danced and giggled and made me grin
with their precious ways that they had back then. 
I held their hands as we traveled the years,
and I wiped their noses and calmed their fears.
We explored the world with curiosity 
and I learned from them and they learned from me.

Oh the years went by too quickly it seems
but I tried to teach the importance of dreams.
Then I watched as each one went their way,
and I closed my eyes and began to pray,
“Dear Lord please keep them safe for me.
Please guide them gently, let them be
compassionate and loving too.
Dear Lord please give them faith in you.”

As I look back on the years gone by
I am proud of the part I played,
in the lives of the children I loved so much.
May the memories never fade.
May they too look back and always know
how much they meant to me.
When they look in their hearts, 
may they always find a loving memory.






All Poems © 2004 Susan Maree Jeavons
All Rights Reserved 
Please E-mail the author for permission to copy.