A Keeper.

I heard a really good poem this last Sunday about mothers and I found myself constantly tweeking it in my head while I listened to it to fit my mom because her circumstances have not been the "norm".

She will probably never be famous and not important to the world, but to me she is royalty in every way possible. She has dreams and wishes but scoots them all aside. She is humble and kind and like a beach at sunset, she provides many with peace. She is fun and sweet and has the most amazing sense of humor. She is positive and happy. She is refreshing and beautiful. She is my glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and her morning calls are my cup of coffee. She works hard and steady all day, everyday and though she may not come home to a castle, she is a queen.

Did your mom read you stories like Teeny Tiny, and you all had to hide under the covers because she did all the parts with the different voices to make them scary?
Did your mom let you carve Ivory soap in the backyard?
Did your mom ever go without food so that you and your brothers would have something to eat?
Did your mom ever faint when she got off the phone with you because your voice sounded like it was in pain?

Then you have a good mother.

Did your mom ever let your newborn sleep with her and bring him to you for feedings just so that you could get some sleep?
Did your mom ever have to bite her tongue almost completely off when you were 15?
Did your mom ever have piping hot bread with homemade jam ready for you when you got home from school?
Did your mom ever get the uncontrollable giggles with you in the back of church durning a meeting while others glared at you making it worse and unstoppable?

Then you have a good mother.



Did your mom ever stay up the entire night praying for you?
Did your mom ever help you develop compassion for older people or those struggling with challenges?
Did your mother ever make dinner, talk on the phone, sew a button, and go through the mail at the same time?
Did your mom ever teach you how good it feels when you do something nice for someone else?
Did your mom ever comfort you while you were having postpartum depression?

Then you have a good mother.

Did your mom ever teach you how to bathe a baby?
Did your mom ever make your scarecrow and swan costumes for Halloween and dance?
Did your mom ever go to work while all the other moms went to lunch just to make ends meet?
Did your mom ever plant and grow a garden in the backyard to make it look and feel like the grounds of Buckingham Palace?
Did your mom leave you a legacy and not even know it?

Then you have a good mother.

Did your mom make sure you had a fun lunch and snacks for field trips and track meets even though you knew it wasn't in the budget?
Did your mom ever answer the phone after the 49th time you called her that day and acted like it was the first time you called?
Did you mom ever cry with you because you were having a bad day?
Did your mom ever make your room feel good enough for a princess, with cute bedding and a valance for your window, even though it was the laundry room?

Then you have a good mother.

Did your mom cook a hot breakfast every morning for you even though she had to get ready and go to work?
Did your mom ever teach you that a colorful plate is a healthy plate and cheer you on at the grocery store when all the food on the conveyor belt was a rainbow?
Did your mom (and dad) ever drive 1 and a half hours to watch you play a high school basketball game in Shiprock and let you ride home with them so that you could avoid the sweaty bus?
Did your mom ever dig through the couch cushions to find enough change to buy chocolate chips for cookies to make with your cousins?
Did your mom ever give you EVERYTHING and although it might have not been much it was all she had?

Then you have a good mother.