Mountain Woman at Heart

I'm cheating a bit. I posted this last year on Mothers Day. As I was thinking about what to write I looked back at least years post and couldn't say it any better now.

I'll be spending my day getting some serious windshield time starting at 4 am Mothers Day morning. We're off to Alabama to pick up a motorcycle, then on to Tennessee for a few days for some R&R Miller-style; lots and lots of driving but away from the day-to-day pressures just the same.
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From May 2008...

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so overwhelmed and happy all at a the same time.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

For those of you who are moms - thank you for all you do.

For those of you whose moms are living - enjoy every minute spent and conversation spoke for you never know when the last one has just happened.

For those of you whose mom's have passed on - I feel for you especially today.
I know too well the pain it can bring when you can't make that phone call to wish a happy mothers day, ask for advice or just chat. Thankfully though a Mom's legacy and memory lives on long after they are gone. I see it in my sisters, children, grandchildren but mostly when I look in the mirror. There are times I walk by a plate glass storefront window, get a side-vision glimpse and see my mother in the glass. The older I get, the more I see her in me. There could defnitely be worse things. If I have to be like somebody, I couldn't think of anyone better to take after than my mom. She was a good lady with a great sense of humor.
I love you and miss you Mom.
Harriet Anna Gesin
October 29, 1929 -- November 4, 1983


HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!