When I read the following poem, I thought of my own Mom and how I learned to mother by observing thousands of daily gestures she performed for me, my siblings, and even perfect strangers. She didn't lecture or teach me to be a mother, she was just herself...and she is an amazing nurturer. I spoke today in church on the divine role of mothers. Loving and nurturing are so much a part of mothering and if I had to think of one thing that I have always felt from mom, that would be nurtured. Her level of constant love and sacrifice created a home environment that felt secure and it was always a place I wanted to be, even as a teenager. Mom was always there for Erin, Ryan, Brant and myself. As much as we tease her about her "equal" treatment, we do it because we know we have each received more love in our short years at home than others would experience in their entire lives. It's an incredible experience to be a mother. It's hard to be a mother. It's humbling to be a mother. It is divine to be a mother.
When You Thought I Wasn't Looking:
More than two decades ago, a young woman soon to graduate from college and get married reflected on her life and was filled with gratitude for the goodness and example of her mother. After praying for divine assistance to express in words her love and appreciation, Mary Rita Schilke Korzan wrote a poem titled “When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking” and dedicated it to her mother. Years later she was surprised to find the poem in a book with the words “author unknown.” Mary eventually unraveled the mystery of lost authorship, driven by a desire that those who read the poem would know the person who inspired it—her mother.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God that I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me good-night
And I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt—
But that it's alright to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You smiled
And it made me want to look that pretty too.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You cared
And I wanted to be everything I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking—
I looked . . .
And wanted to say thanks
For all those things you did
When you thought I wasn’t looking.¹
1 comment:
Thank you so very much, Ashley. Mothering was the greatest gift I was blessed to receive in this life and I found no greater joy than to watch each of you grow in your own God-given abilities. Seeing you, Brant, Erin and Ryan play together, pray together and share feelings together was and is an everlasting joy that I treasure. My advice to all of you Mothers of precious children is to take time to "be still." The old adage that "silence is golden" is forgotten in a world of distractions and noise which overshadows the directives given from the still small voice, the voice for the inner self. Don't lose contact with that inner voice so, you, yourselves, can remain whole, healthy and able to give. Life is not perfect for a reason. Imperfection and unrealized expectations cause us to look deeper, listen more profoundly and have course corrections along the way. Whereas, one established way of life may serve us well for years, another way may serve us better moving forward. Take care of yourself and remember to say "No" to those things that take away from the peace and silence of your soul. I love you, MOM
Post a Comment