MOTHERS

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is this the long way?" she asked. And her guide said:
"Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you
reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the
beginning." But the young mother was happy, and
she would not believe that anything could be  better
than these years.

So she played with her children, and gathered
flowers for them along the way, and bathed them,
in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them,
and the young mother cried, "Nothing will ever be
lovelier than this." Then the night came, and the
storm, and the path was dark, and the children
shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew
them close and covered them with her
mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are
not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can
come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill
ahead, and the children climbed and grew
weary, and when they reached the top
they said, "Mother, we would not have done
it without you." And the Mother, when she
lay down at night looked up at the stars and
said, "This is a better day than the last, for
my children have learned fortitude in the
face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage.
Today I have given them strength."

And the day went on, and the weeks and the
months and the years, and the mother grew old....
and she was little and bent. But her children
were tall and strong, and walked with courage.
And when the way was rough, they lifted
her, for she was as light as a feather; and
at last they came to a hill, and beyond they
could see a shining road and golden gates
flung wide. And Mother said: "I have
reached the end of my journey. And now I
know the end is better than the beginning,
for my children can walk alone, and their
children after them." And the children
said, "You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through
the gates." And they stood and watched her
as she went on alone, and the gates closed
after her. And they said: "We cannot see
her, but she is with us still.

A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a
living presence. "your Mother is always with you
she's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down
the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly
laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your
laughter and she's crystallized in every tear drop. She
is the place you came from, your first home; And she's
the map you follow with every step you take. She's your
first love and your first heartbreak; And nothing
on earth can separate you....Not time, not space....
Not even death.
 

  REFLECTIONS OF A  MOTHER

I gave you life, but cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead
you.
I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot always
decide for you.
I can buy you beautiful clothes, but I cannot make you
beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show
honor.
I can advise you about friends, but I cannot choose them
for you.
I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life, but I can't build your
reputation.
I can tell you about drink, but I can't say "no" for you.
I can warn you about drugs but I can't prevent you from
using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can't achieve them
for you.
I can teach you about kindness, but I can't force you to be
gracious.
I can warn you about sin, but I cannot make you moral.
I can love you as a child, but I cannot place you in God's
family.
I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your
Lord.
I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal
life.
I can love you with unconditional love all of my life...and I will!!!!