Legacy of a Mother’s Love

I have been reading Mom Phd by Teresa Bell Kindred and came across this poem she wrote which illustrates how love is demonstrated by a Christian mother.

When you are young, she is cookies and milk after school.
She is a comforting hug after a bad dream
in the middle of the night.
She is the cold rag on a feverish forehead.
A calm strength when you are frightened.

By the time you are a teenager, she is nosy and bosy.
She has more advice than Dear Abby.
She is old and out of touch.
She insists you go to church and prays daily you will not
stray too far from the principles she has taught you.
She is the first to jump to your defense
when someone criticizes you,
and the first to tell you when you are wrong.

Years pass. You are a young woman, and it is your wedding day.
She is more than your mother; she is your friend,
and she rejoices at your happiness.
The proud look on her face tells the world how much she loves you.
When she becomes a grandmother,
the advice she gave you when you were a child
suddenly takes on new meaning.
She never tires of hearing about her grandchildren’s antics or
accomplishments, and she relishes in relating stories about them
over and over to anyone who will listen.
When she holds her grandchild in her arms,
you see the same look of love on her face
that was there for you when you were a child.

More years pass and time begins to take its toll.
Her hair is now gray and her face lined with wrinkles.
Her eyesight and hearing are failing.
Her body is bent and her step unsure.
She is forgetful and frail and then one day…she is gone.

She is memories of comforting hugs in the middle of the night,
cookies and milk after school,
the proud look on her face the day of your wedding,
the loving way she held your child.
She is gone, and yet she is with you
because when you loook in the mirror,
you see the woman she molded,
and the little girl who still longs to run
to the comfort of her mother’s arms.

Now it is your turn to do the things she did,
and when you do them
You remember her love and realize that
at last you know her secret.
A mother is mortal, with imperfections and failings.
She cannot solve the problems of the universe,
nor can she protect her children from every danger.
She can only try.
You wish with all your heart that you could tell her
thank you one more time.
And you can almost hear her whisper,
“Thank me by loving your children as much as I loved you.”
She has given you something priceless,
The legacy of her love.

Although it is music to one’s ears to hear the words “I love you”, love truly is best demonstrated through actions than uttered in words.  My mother has always been generous with her words of love and affirmation.  She has until now, showered us with hugs and kisses, and never fails to show us how much she loves us.  She now gives the same warmth and affection to her grandchildren.  It is this same unselfish, unrequited love manifested in words and in actions that I would like to pass on to my children.