The Best Job in the World

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.

That is the quote I wrote every year when I presented my Mom with my “Happy Mothers Day” card.

She often said that being a Mother was the best job in the world. As usual, she was right, even if I didn’t always agree with her as I grew up.  Sometimes I wondered how she put up with me. When I asked her, she’d hug me, squeeze me and say I was the best daughter in the world.

When I became a Mom at 34, I began to understand what she meant. It is all about unconditional love. Children don’t care how their Moms look or smell, because they think their Moms are the most beautiful women in the world, even when they are sweating in the kitchen and are bad-tempered. Just as I watched my Mom and learned, my son watched me and learned, making me conscious about being a better human being, so I might set half as good an example as my Mom did for me.

“When you were small and just a touch away, I covered you with blankets against the cold night air. But now that you are tall and out of reach, I fold my hands and cover you with prayer.”

I  fondly remember, when he was a first grader, their teacher asked them to say a few words about “My Mother” and he said, “My Mother is very kind. She loves me. She never scolds me in front of anyone. She always talks to me nicely. She laughs a lot and I love her. She is my friend”.  My heart burst with happiness when his teacher told me. So I can be tough on occasion, but I secretly pledged that I would never scold him or make him feel bad in the presence of others. It has made a big difference to his self-esteem and is just one of the things that makes our relationship so precious.

The most important things I’ve learned from my own Mom – communication, listening, empathy, humor and being flexible – help tackle any situation.  Nobody’s perfect – and in fact, nobody has to be. Being realistic with expectations can eliminate a lot of rough spots.  Sometimes, when expectations are reasonable, there’s no harm in living up to them, is there?

Mmmm. This is the fifth Mother’s Day without my Mom. But I know she lives in me and I am filled with gratitude for all that she has been to me.

“A mother understands what a child does not say.”  even when her child is a chatterbox

Here’s a lovely poem I’d like to share with you – take time to smell the flowers!

Handwriting On The Wall

Unknown

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall
It’s on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you’d be mad at having to do it again.

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
Where is your little brother right now?
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear–he knew that meant doom
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught.

She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, I love Mommy, surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

♥

Happy Mothers Day to you!

Here’s a lovely video of Magnificent Mother’s Day quotes you ‘ll love – it is on Danny Brown’s blog

And because it is Sunday today, I am linking up with Unknown Mami, the gorgeous Mami who hosts Sundays In My City.

Let me take you down the lane opposite my apartment complex – at the end of which is a shop where I buy dairy. This gorgeous lane has beautiful trees.

This tree is just outside the shop.

There is a shop that has rabbits in its yard. Sweet fellas. Forever eating cucumbers.

Now, up to my terrace where I walk – this pigeon hangs around – and gives us company

And? In case you wondered about the painting – it is still a work in progress. See the dude doing his thang.

Happy Mothers Day!

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” ~ Marianne Williamson