Sunday, May 8, 2011

My 44th Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day, to all the great moms out there.

I just calculated this is my 44th mother's day. Wow! This is the Big Four, above, this past Christmas. I dont know where all these six foot tall people came from. I remember once, when the kids were still at home, using the line from On Golden Pond, about "What use are dwarves if they dont Do Chores?" and my kids laughingly pointing out that I was the shortest one in the family. Which explains a lot, come to think of it :)

I have been reflecting this morning on how no one comes into our lives by accident, whether it be family, friends, acquaintances. Every person has lessons to teach us and this applies especially to children, who teach us much more than we ever teach them. 

Through thick and thin, laughter and tears, we have hung together, and they have most profoundly been my teachers, and fellow wayfarers on The Path.

Two of my kids, Lisa and Jeff, are very talented writers, and it occurred to me this morning to post one  of the beautiful Mother's Day poems Jeff has written me over the years, as some of you have told me you enjoy his writing. No manufactured card could be as beautiful as these words my son penned for me.

Beloved Mother,
whenever I return
homeward in my
dependence,
I feel secure.
Secure enough
to take the wings
your shelter and the fates
matured,
and dwell in flight
upon the revolving winds
of dream.
Oh fantasy!
Oh other birds
lilting on the sky!
I feel drawn to you,
feel my mother's smile
upon my back.
Will she see me
dance across
those distant hills of fire?
I turn and smile
upon you, Mother,
then try my way.
Yet my compass,
you should know,
is ever turned
homeward.

by Jeff Siddhartha Crazy-Horse Marr

See kids? What a poem! What an honor to be the mother
of each of these  four amazing beings. And to my two other kids, Stephanie's Gord, and the adorable Zenny, who is married to Jon. A full house when we all get together, with the four grandkids and my little great-grandson........and all of the attendant dogs:) I am blessed.

44 mother's days,
going by so fast,
days of unbearable beauty,
unbearable sorrow.
No greater gift can I ask
of life
than that my children stay,
alive and thriving,
through all of my
tomorrows.

11 comments:

  1. Heppy Mother's Day, Sherry. :-)

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  2. You have me outnumbered in mom's days, Sherry. This is my 38th and with all the grandchildren feels like alot but not really...never enough. You have a good looking bunch of kids both handsome and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Sherry, I close behind you with 42. But that brought up the memory of my first Mother's Day and it was not a good one. Thank goodness things change, or that we choose to change them. Your son's poem is a wonderful tribute and your short verse is an echo through mountains and forests. Thanks, my wild sister,

    Elizabeth

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  4. I see that you are blessed not only with love, but the ability to love back. I sense that you are a terrific mother. Your son's elegy is truly gorgeous. I long to have felt that way about my own mother but as you saw, I could not or should say do not, yet. I've just gotten in touch with what maternal rejection and abandonment did to me and am writing my heart out about it. I post often at my blog, not always super heavy poems-- stop back. It's a hard day. xxxj

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  5. sherry, happy mother's day, blessings to you and your family, and i'm so glad you bless my world with your words of love.

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  6. Happy Mother's Day, Sherry. May you have many more with your family. So neat that some of your children are writers. That must give you great joy.

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  7. Of course, I loved this post with that great photo of you and the kids! It doesn't feel that long ago that we were meeting in the schoolyard with strollers and kids in tow, does it?

    Jeff's poem is amazing, and I wholeheartedly echo the sentiment in your words...:)

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  8. Sherry,
    Love just abounds from all of the words at this piece of writing!
    Son love for you and your abiding love for your children Sherry, even with forty-four years!
    I am a mere thirty years'a'mother!
    A beautiful post Sherry,
    Eileen :)

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  9. As I lay my head on last night's pillow, I wondered at how blessed I am, have been, to be the mother of such amazing creatures. My life is rich and layered, textured and colored because of my roles as wife and mother. I know your joy, Sherry, It is precious.

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  10. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful to see love abound around you. Lovely poem, that is!

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  11. Happy Mother's Day!

    Your post reduced me to tears, how wonderful. Jeff's poem is so beautiful too. Wow! I remember the On Golden Pond thing ~ we had some great belly laughs. May we have many more :D

    xx

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