Honoring Mom

Posted on May 11, 2016 in All Blog Posts, Holidays and Celebrations

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

 Abraham Lincoln

It’s that time of year when we honor mothers everywhere with flowers, cards, gifts, and homemade tokens resplendent with glue and glitter (which we learned as adults were always mom’s favorite keepsakes).  Many a handkerchief can be found embroidered with flowers or the title Mother, but today we focus on the simple and cozy, on the feeling of security and warmth the image of Mother engenders.

We honor moms who sat up with you long into the night whether you were suffering from chicken pox or a broken heart.

And those moms who continued to stay awake long after you fell asleep. (And worried in your stead while you peacefully slumbered.)

 

As the night sky twinkles in this batik beauty, an ever alert mom stands guard as one babe nods drowsily, while the other snuggles safe and sound in her care.

 

Anyone who has ever witnessed a herd of elephants knows there’s no one safer than a baby calf among a group of female adults.  I love this little charmer with roses on his knees sporting a blossom in his trunk just like mom.

 

What would mothers  be without the ubiquitous satchel/tote/carryall/tool box/first aid kit/chuck wagon/craft emporium/gym bag/library/toy chest and all around magician’s trunk known as The Purse.  Below, fanciful kangaroos frolic and romp, careful to protect their precious cargo of joeys and all manner of paraphanalia. (I’m always astounded to see what some women can pull from their purses from band-aids to Barbies, bubble blow to bacon. (yes, bacon!)

“Sweater, n. Garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.”

 Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary

Of course all any child really wants is to feel included.  Whether mom is going to the grocery or the garage, they want to tag along.  Regardless of the venue, with mom they know they are safe and unconditionally loved. And isn’t that all any of us really want?

 

 

Although we can’t say it enough, we’ve included a few hankies which express  gratitude for moms everywhere.  Just as no two children are alike, each hankie says Thank You in its own unique style.

 

When God Created Mothers   by Erma Bombeck

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”
The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands…. no way.”
“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”
“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

“One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”
“God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest. Tomorrow….”

“I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.
“But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”
“Can it think?”
“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.
“There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”
“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”
“What’s it for?”
“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”
“You’re a genius,” said the angel.
Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”
Here’s to mothers everywhere –  a flutter of the hankie to you on your Special Day.

 

“A good mother is irreplaceable.”

Adriana Trigiani