Mom had a heart attack this past March. She is recovering well, and though I’m always grateful to her for being a wonderful role model, confidante, guide and friend, I particularly treasured this Mother’s Day weekend, spending time with her at the lake watching the ice (yes, in mid-May) still breaking up on our lake up in northern Minnesota. We reminisced, shopped, read, went for a lovely drive, and enjoyed our time together. Much of that time, we didn’t have to say a word. Our feelings are known even when unspoken. My husband shot this sporadic photo at our request.
And when we drove her home this Mother’s Day 2013, I was reminded of another Mother’s Day back in 1986. Our church had a Mother-Daughter banquet, and requested that we write and recite poems from our mom-daughter perspective. While perhaps not set to win any literature awards, these were then—and still are from our hearts. Here’s to you, Mom!
Thoughts from a Mother
By Beverly (Benson) Hoye
Thank you God, for little girls
You entrusted to our care.
So special are the many things
That moms and daughters share.
Baby, toddler, schoolgirl –
See how fast she grows!
Anxious to be grown up.
That’s normal, I suppose.
I would not choose to keep her small
Even though I had the power.
How wonderful to watch the bud
Become a lovely flower.
And when some lucky fellow
Takes her as his wife,
I hope she has a daughter
To complete a blessed life.
But should God send a little boy
(Which he could easily do),
Remember that a daughter-in-law
Can be her daughter too.
Thoughts from a Daughter
By Barbara (Hoye) Poole
Thank you, Lord, for mothers.
They are blessings on this earth.
Bones of their bones and flesh of their flesh,
They nurture us from birth.
The path to womanhood is bittersweet –
Sprinkled with laughter and with tears.
Through it all, our mothers
Create loving memories out of years.
When we are small and so unsure,
They reassure us with their deeds.
A bandaged knee, a shopping spree,
They fulfill our basic needs.
And as we blossom into young women
With more complicated lives,
They guide us with their example –
Loving women, mothers and wives.
They do not ask to be repaid.
Their wish is a simple one.
That God will smile upon their girls
And say to them, “Well done”!
