Happy Mothers Day

I apologize in advance to those of you have been reading my ramblings since the start of this blogging deal, but every year when I sit down to write a Mothers Day post, I end up going back to the first one I wrote on this blog.  It says exactly what I still want to write.  In a repeat performance from from May 2008 & May 2009, here you go.


Before I was a Mom...


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 conversations 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 when I walk by a plate glass window or mirror, get a side-vision glimpse and see my mother in the glass. I often do a double-take.  The older I get, the more I see her in me. It could definitely be worse.  If I have to be like somebody, I couldn't think of anyone better to emulate than my mother. She was a good lady with a great sense of humor and then that damned cancer took her away from us.  I often think about how much she would be enjoying not just her kids and grandkids but her Great-grandkids.

I love you and miss you Mom.
Harriet Anna Gesin
October 29, 1929 -- November 4, 1983