Mother’s Day Weekend has passed again and as I sit in the after glow with my Monday morning coffee I am filled with an abundance of gratitude so acute it almost hurts. It is a special day for me, special because I have been in active duty now for 35 years. Plus 15 years as a grandmother. I wouldn’t trade a single day. Not even the stormy ones.
Yes, it’s true…I had an early start. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you hit a home run.
Although, I didn’t wake one day and say, “Gee…I think I’ll try being a sixteen year old mom, won’t that be a smart idea!” I did learn more from that rocky road than all of the other hard knock classes I took put together.
I learned about unconditional love. I learned about commitment. I learned about priorities. (You learn about that sort of thing in the middle of the night with an asthmatic child who can’t breathe and you haven’t slept in three days.) I learned about money. I learned about not having any.
Yep…kids teach you everything. All of mine have taught me new things. My oldest, being the pioneer daughter, blazing the trail for the others, had it the hardest. She had to dig her way through the hardest clay, my skills as a parent, untried and alone for the most part. We experimented together. Frick and frack, figuring it out as we went along. We learned a lot together. The rest of them should send her Mother’s day cards.
When she was 16, she wrote a poem and gave it to me for Mother’s Day.
I appeared like lightning piercing the sky;
Greatly unexpected, a hindrance was I.
Washing away goals, changing dreams like the tide,
I crushed her youth the moment I arrived.But her love flourished with each passing day,
As she accepted her life, the gift that I gave.
Our life was not charted, predicted, or planned;
We faced our troubles hand in hand.They flooded our lives, right from the start,
But made us two people; stronger of heart.
She welcomed my presence for she did know,
That when a storm goes by, it leaves a rainbow.
I CRIED……
But it was true. All of my children are exquisite rainbows with the most glorious colors in the universe.
I know that all of the mothers out there feel the same way about their rainbows too. So for mothers everywhere this weekend, I am sharing my gratitude for all of our children and for everything they have taught us, shown us and shared with us.
For the gift of being a mother.
Happy Mother’s Day Moms.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptkWYhX79N8]I have been blessed.
*Original post from 2008 updated to reflect current Mother’s Day Gratitude. I am grateful always.
Happy Mother’s Day Wendi, and a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the other mothers who will stop in here to say hello.
People like you make the world a better place. 🙂
-Brett
That was such a sweet poem, and knowing your daughter like I do, she meant every word of it! You both are exceptional mothers!!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!
Thank you Brett!
And to your wife as well. I am sure you will make her weekend special.
Jenny my love,
Thank you.
Hugs.
What an amazing tribute. you made such a good decision to keep your child. thank you for buckling down and dealing with the total disruption of your life. you have indeed been blessed.
A most beautiful tribute.
We are blessed to have you in our lives, dear Wendikins.
Blessed Be,
Ms. O
What a beautiful post, Wendikelly, and such an exquisite gift to receive from your daughter. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
I just happened upon your blog and your post really touched me! The poem was amazing and you are lucky to have a wonderful daughter. I’m just starting my journey into motherhood and already we have had some hard times. But I was thinking about it the other day and I realized that my daughters don’t fully understand at the moment the hardships. That through my actions I am still teaching them how to be strong. Your story gives me hope that even through our stuggles in the end it only will bring happiness! Thanks so much for sharing!
Amy,
Ms.O,
Scream of Continuousness,
Thanks to all of you. Yes, scream ( I would love to know your name) I am so very lucky to have my daughter ( Lucky is actually her nickname) Actually I have two daughters and two sons and feel lucky-and that it was a good decision to have them all.
Kalisha
Welcome,
Thank you for coming by, I hope you will consider subscribing ( Top corner) and coming back often. Welcome to motherhood and the best journey of your life.
Please, feel free to pass this post on to all the mothers that you know, I would like to give it to all mothers as a mother’s day gift.
Being a mother is the greatest gift of all to me.
I wasn’t trying to be mysterious, that’s just my log in. come over to my wordpress blog at screamofcontinuousness if you like.
That is an amazing poem your daughter wrote, Wendi. And I know she is as amazing as you are because fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Man, that must have been hard for you to have a child at age sixteen. I can relate. I have done a lot of crazy things when I was younger.
You’re are so right. We do learn a lot of life lessons through our children. And we think we are the “mothers.”
Happy Mothers Day Wendi.
I was born around mothers day, May 13th, can’t seem to find out whether it actually was mothers day or just close but I do know that Paint it Black by the Stones was released on my birthday ha!
My mom is in the UK with my grandmother this mothers day and all is well. Hopefully I’ll get to see my sister and my niece (and Youdle too!).
Congrats on your hard work and the satisfaction it has given you!
Great post, Wendi! I really love the poem and am glad you kept it all these years (who wouldn’t?)
Really like your column here. Keep it up 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day!
Wendi, you never cease to amaze me. Your daughter sure is lucky and from reading that poem, I’d say she knows it. And she’s talented! That’s an exemplary poem, methinks.
Happy Mothers Day Wendi!
Wendi,
Another tissue-alert post! I ought to buy stock in Kimberley-Clark if I’m going to keep reading such heartwarming articles. I was holding my own until the poem. Beautiful!
She couldn’t have written it if it wasn’t as true as all that and then some (kids miss a lot that we try to protect them from), so you must be a very amazing Mom. Happy Mother’s Day to you!
My (9-year-old) daughter handed me this tiny poem when I picked her up from school yesterday, in her handmade Mother’s Day card, I hope you’ll appreciate it:
MOTHER
Modish
Outstanding
Thoughtful
Honest
Elegant
Ravishing
Kids are great! Now I have to go blow my nose a hundred times, and print out your daughter’s poem for our fridge.
Thanks for writing this!
Regards,
Kelly
Pickles,
Yeah!!!!! Your HERE!!!!
I’m glad you like it, cause I want you to write a guest post…
please?????
i”ll beg more later..
Kelly,
Those are big words for a nine year old! I have no doubt that they are true,, knowing you!
My daughter will be happy to know that her B- poem will be immortalized on someone’s fridge! ( I Think her teacher that year was an idiot- LOL)
Melissa,
Tania says she wishes you had been her teacher that year, she turned that in for a grade and got a B- and an attitude of distain from her teacher.
Darren Daz,
Happy birthday my Tauras friend! I hope have a special week coming up. Lots of balloons to You!
Ellen,
Thank you.
Children are the greatest teachers of life.
Happy Mother’s Day, Wendi! I just found your blog and it is now bookmarked to return to again & again.
Here is my gift to you, from one mother to another. It’s a book I just finished called The Woman’s Field Guide to Exceptional Lliving by Corrie Woods. It is a little book with a lot of heart and something all women can enjoy and learn from. It’s a wonderful, warm little book that can help us all to create more meaning in our lives. I think it aligns with the messages you share here, so I just had to recommend it!
Hope you like it as much as I did!
Happy Mother’s Day — every day,
Linda
Linda, Thank you for coming and I am so glad to hear that you be back again!If you would like, you can subscribe up in the top corner by e-mail or rss.
Thank you for the book recomendation. I think it is wonderful that we can share our Mother’s Day gift recomendations with each other.
@Wendi, B-??? You have got to be kidding me! You know, I found that some teachers don’t have the right psychology for teaching. Everything is personal and they project their own life situations onto their students. In fact, I once had an opinion assignment and my teacher (professor actually) looked me right in the eye and in so many words told me that if my paper wasn’t in line with HER opinion, my grade would suffer for it. I dropped the class immediately and only wish I’d filed a formal complaint, because that’s just bad teaching.
I would have given your daughter an A on that poem and I’m pretty sure most of my English teachers would have too.
Your post really hit home with me, as a little over 13 years ago, I was a 16 year old unexpectedly pregnant with my first child. He and I traveled down some rocky roads and virtually grew up together, but I wouldn’t have life any other way.
Your daughter is very talented and her words are so very true. You are so right, we HAVE been blessed and should never take it for granted.
That was lovely. Happy Mother’s Day Wendi. 🙂
Wendi,
Beautiful post, beautiful poem.
Happy Mother’s Day to you and all the other moms out there.
Your daughter’s poem hit home as I completely concur; my mum married @ 16, had me @ 17 & divorced @ 18. It was she & I “against the world.” My ample wheezing & the lack of funds didn’t help us either but we also learned SO much along the way, esp. appreciation for each other!
Thank you for capturing what it is to blaze the way together as mother & daughter. I hope everyone’s Mothers’ Day was expressly happy!? Given just how much could be said to & about my mum, I kept it short but true on my blog for HER day:
http://coffeesister.net/2008/05/11/mum.aspx
(|_|*cheers*|_|) @coffeesister ^_^