WONDERFUL MOTHER

God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He moulded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.
Written by: Pat O'Reilly

TO MY MOTHER

Because I feel that in the heavens above
The angels, whispering one to another,
Can find among their burning terms of love,
None so devotional as that of "Mother,"
Therefore by that dear name I have long called you,
You who are more than mother unto me,
And filled my heart of hearts, where death installed you,
In setting my Virginia's spirit free.
My mother -- my own mother, who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are the mother to the one I loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother I knew
But that infinity with which my wife
Was dearer to my soul that its soul-life.
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

MOTHERHOOD

The bravest battle that ever was fought!
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
'Twas fought by the mothers of men.

Nay not with the cannon of battle-shot,
With a sword or noble pen;
Nay, not with eloquent words or thought
From mouth of wonderful men!

But deep in a walled-up woman's heart --
Of a woman that would not yield,
But bravely, silently bore her part --
Lo, there is the battlefield!

No marshalling troops, no bivouac song,
No banner to gleam and wave;
But oh! those battles, they last so long --
From babyhood to the grave.

Yet, faithful still as a bridge of stars,
She fights in her walled-up town --
Fights on and on in her endless wars,
Then silent, unseen, goes down.

Oh, ye with banners and battle-shot,
And soldiers to shout and paise!
I tell you the kingliest victories fought
Were fought in those silent ways.

O spotless woman in a world of shame,
With splendid and silent scorn,
Go back to God as white as you came --
The Kingliest warrior born!
Written by: Joaquin Miller (1839-1913)

THAT WONDERFUL MOTHER OF MINE

The moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of that wonderful mother of mine.
The birds never sing but a message they bring
Of that wonderful mother of mine.
Just to bring back the time, that was so sweet to me,
Just to bring back the days, when I sat on her knee.

I pray ev'ry night to our Father above,
For that wonderful mother of mine.
I ask Him to keep her as long as He can
That -- wonderful mother of mine.
There are treasures on earth, that made life seem worthwhile,
But there's none can compare to my mother's smile.
(Refrain)

You are a wonderful mother, dear old Mother of mine.
You'll hold a spot down deep in my heart,
"'Till the stars no longer shine.
Your soul shall live on forever,
On through the fields of time.
For there'll never be another to me,
Like that wonderful Mother of mine.
Written by: Clyde Hager

Mothers Are the Place Where Love

Mothers are the place where love
Emerges from the earth,
And happiness rings out like bells
In honor of our birth.

Mothers are the sun that lights
For life our inner sky,
So we may know that we are loved
And need not question why.

Mothers are the moon that shines
Upon our black despair,
So even when we weep, we know
That someone's always there.

Whatever fear, or stress, or pain
Might them to anger move,
We know that underneath the storm
We have, always, their love.
Written by: Nicholas Gordon

Reflections of a Mother

I gave you life,
but cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things,
but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions,
but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom,
but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church,
but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong,
but I cannot always decide for you.
I can buy you beautiful clothes,
but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice,
but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love,
but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share,
but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect,
but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends,
but cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex,
but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life,
but I can't build your reputation.
I can tell you about drink,
but I can't say "no" for you.
I can warn you about drugs
but I can't prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals,
but I can't achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness,
but I can't force you to be gracious
I can warn you about sins,
but I cannot make you moral
I can love you as a child,
but I cannot place you in God's family.
I can pray for you,
but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus,
but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.
I can tell you how to live,
but I cannot give you eternal life.
I can love you with unconditional love all of my life...
and I will!!!
(Author Unknown)

When God Created Mothers

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 the Lord 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,"
said the Lord.
"It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord 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 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."
"Lord," said the angel, touching His sleeve gently,
"Come to bed.
Tomorrow..."
"I can't," said the Lord, "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 nin-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 the Lord excitedly. "
You cannot imagine what this mother can
do or endure."
"Can it think?"
"Not only 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, 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 are a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there."
Written by: Erma Bombeck