For all the times you sang to me
The lullabies and hymns,
When you sat by the bed and waited
As the daylight faded dim.
The times I fell and skinned my knee
As I played in the heat of the day.
You bandaged me, and then you smiled
And kissed the pain away.
For all the hours you cleaned our house
And sneezed midst dirt and dust;
For cooking scrumptious dinners
With talent we could trust.
For taking time to read with me
The books that I loved best;
For playing dolls and house with me
When you really wanted rest.
For teaching me to read God’s Word
And pleading on your knees;
For begging me to seek the Lord
And praying I would see.
For teaching me domestic chores–
You left not one to spare.
For showing how to cook and clean
When I really didn’t care.
For making growing up important
Pierced ears and trendy clothes;
For listening as I whined and cried
About the freckles on my nose.
For the times my health was poor;
You always took good care.
You cried and prayed for me
And tried my pain to bear.
For bearing with my teenage angst–
My moodiness and tears;
For living patiently with me
During those trying years.
For laughing with me as I told
Of all my “first love” joys;
Then listening sympathetically
As I groaned and griped about boys.
Through the years you were always there–
My first date and my graduation.
You kept me laughing through my fears
With your wild imagination.
I think of all the times you stood
And put me in my place
Though I reacted angrily
With hatred in my face.
You never failed to teach me,
And when I went astray,
You gently prodded to narrow paths
And showed the proper way.
For listening to my lonely cries
As I entered the “searching” stage;
For taking time to spend with me
When there was no one else my age.
For always being there for me
And taking time to spend.
I’m thankful you’re my mother,
I thank God that you’re my friend.
I wrote these feeble words at the height of my teen years. I had no clue at the time what the future would hold. Even now they can barely express the debt of gratitude I owe to one of the dearest people in the world to me. Thank you, Mom, for all that you are and all that you have been. And thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with not only a precious mother but a dear friend.
Happy Mother’s Day!
A Spring of Joy 
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