Moms teach compassion, hope, love

Proposed parish pipeline provides promise
May 3, 2011
Rebecca Cheramie
May 5, 2011
Proposed parish pipeline provides promise
May 3, 2011
Rebecca Cheramie
May 5, 2011

The following tribute to mothers is entitled “Mom’s Journey” adapted from the original by Temple Bailey.


“The young mother set her foot on the path of life. ‘Is this the long way?’ she asked. The guide said, ‘Yes, the way is hard but you will be old before you reach the end of it. The end will be better than the beginning.’

“The young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, she fed them, and bathed them, and taught them to tie their shoe laces and ride a bike and do their homework and brush their teeth. The sun shone on them, and the young mother cried, ‘Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.’


“Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms, and the children said, ‘Mother, we are not afraid for you are near. No harm can come.’


“The morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary. The mother was weary too. She kept saying to the children, ‘A little patience and we are there.’ So the children climbed, and as they climbed, they learned to weather the storms. Thus, she gave them strength to face the world.

“Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all, unconditional love. When they reached the top they said, ‘Mother, we could not have done it without you.’


“The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old. She became smaller and bent. Her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. When the mother laid down at night, she looked up at the stars and said, ‘This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits onto their children.’

“When the way became rough for her, they lifted her and gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers. One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill, they could see a shining road and golden gates flung open. The mother said, ‘I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and pride, with their head held high, and so can their children after them.’

“The children said, ‘You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.’ They stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. They said, ‘We cannot see her, but she is with us still, more than a memory. She is a living presence.’

“Your Mother is always with you. She is the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She is the smell of certain foods that you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore. She is the cool hand on your brow when you’re not feeling well. She is your breath in the air on a cold winter’s day. She is the sound of the rain.

“Your Mother lives inside your laughter, and she is crystallized in every tear drop. She is the place you came from, your first home, and she is the map that you follow with every step you take.

“She is your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space, not even death.”

I wish all moms a most Happy Mother’s Day!