Dr. Val FarmerDr.Val
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Rural Mental Health & Family Relationships

A Tribute To Mothers

May 5, 2008

I have witnessed the love of my own mother. Her devotion to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren has become a legendary memory that reverberates through the generations that have followed her.

I have witnessed the love and devotion of my wife Darlene for our children and grandchildren. It is an incredible thing to observe and experience first hand. This story isn’t finished and will only get better with time. I am witnessing the love and dedication of our five daughters and daughter-in-law for their children. I stand in awe and wonderment of who a mother is and what she does.

I wrote this tribute to mothers years ago, inspired by my own mother. I have revised it a little and wanted to share it with you once again as a tribute to all the mothers who valiantly and selflessly give so much of themselves to their children.

SHE IS A MOTHER

She is a mother.

She know her children better than anyone. She has carried them in her arms,

and in her heart.

She is the woman who bore them, loves them, teaches them, inspires them,

and sometimes disciplines them.

She rocks the baby. She reads the stories. She hears the prayers. She sets the standards.

She teaches of God, scriptures, prophets

and commandments.

She is a mother.

She is the best friend God has given children. She forgives, She trusts, She encourages.

She is the woman who dries the tears, bakes the cakes, plays the games,

and sings the songs.

She makes memories out of holidays, birthdays and vacations.

Her smile lights the way. She is a refuge when there is no other refuge. She is a giver of gifts.

She gives affection and sometimes reproach. Her food nurtures the body

and the soul.

She is a mother.

She is wisdom, common sense and patience. She is tenderness, loveliness, and kindness.

She is a source of safety, hope, and comfort.

She is a healer, a nurse, and a doctor. She is a cook, a chauffeur, and a counselor.

She is faith, perseverance, and courage. She is love, duty,

and devotion.

She is a mother.

She fashions genius and awaken intellect. Her heart is her children’s schoolroom.

She is the loom upon which character is woven. She teaches of lessons past

and beckons toward new horizons.

She encircles them with love and then she pushes them away. Because she dreams, they dream.

She delights in their triumphs

and in their goodness.

She is a mother.

She is no stranger to pain. In giving birth, She visits the valley of the shadow of death.

In giving love, her heart is subject to hurt and loss. She is no stranger to grief.

Her children are not perfect. No one knows it better than she.

Their errors give her a double blow. One to themselves

and one to her.

She is a mother.

For her teenagers, her lamp is always lit. Her love is a shield for them against temptation.

She listens, empathizes and sometimes scold. She makes burden light

and, when necessary, she makes them heavy.

She shares victories and soften losses. She is there when she is needed. Always.

She bears, nurses, protects, loves, teaches, guides

and then she lets them go.

Her children may be gone from my home but never from her heart.

Their heartaches become her heartaches

and their joys her joys.

She is a mother.

She may not be rich, but she has great wealth. Her children are her jewels.

She is a partner with her husband

and with God.

She is a civilizer, a builder of homes, a keeper of communities,

and a shaper of nations.

Her calling is divine, her work is of eternity.

In life, her work is essential. In death, her memory is sacred.

In her soul, these words are indelibly inscribed,

"I am a mother."