Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life.

To My Mother

 

You too, my mother, read my rhymes
 For love of unforgotten times,
 And you may chance to hear once more
 The little feet along the floor.
                ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Appreciate Your Mom

Soldiers’ Angels

May is National Military Appreciation Month!

What are some things you do to show your support and thanks to veterans and the members of our military?

I support Soldiers’ Angels. This wonderful non-profit organization has really GREAT programs for all our troops.

But they can’t do it without our support and help. Check out the Soldiers’ Angels website, join the cause and see how you can lend a hand.

Soldiers’ Angels 10 year Anniversary

Mission May no soldier go unloved. May no soldier walk alone. May no soldier be forgotten. Until they all come home. Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit with hundreds of thousands of volunteers providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families. Founded in March 2003. Learn more at Soldier’s Angels.org

Crabby Old Man

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte, Nebraska, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Missouri.

The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet.

A Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . .. .. . What do you see? What are you thinking . . . . . when you’re looking at me? A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise, Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes? Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply. When you say in a loud voice . . . . . ‘I do wish you’d try!’ Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do. And forever is losing . . . . . A sock or shoe? Who, resisting or not . . . . . let’s you do as you will, With bathing and feeding . . . . . The long day to fill? Is that what you’re thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you’re not looking at me. I’ll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still, As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will. I’m a small child of Ten . . . . . with a father and mother, Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another. A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet. Dreaming that soon now . . . . . a lover he’ll meet. A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap. Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep. At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own. Who need me to guide . . . . . And a secure happy home. A man of Thirty . . . . . My young now grown fast, Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last. At Forty, my young sons . . .. . . have grown and are gone, But my woman’s beside me . . . . . to see I don’t mourn. At Fifty, once more, babies play ’round my knee, Again, we know children . . . . . My loved one and me. Dark days are upon me . . . . . my wife is now dead. I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread. For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own. And I think of the years . . . . . and the love that I’ve known. I’m now an old man . . . . . and nature is cruel. Tis jest to make old age . . . . . look like a fool. The body, it crumbles . . . . . grace and vigor, depart. There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart. But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells, And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells. I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain. And I’m loving and living . . . . . life over again. I think of the years, all too few . . . . . gone too fast. And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last. So open your eyes, people . . . . . open and see. Not a crabby old man .. . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!

PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM

The best and most beautiful things of this world can’t be seen or touched. They must be felt by the heart.

I received this via a forwarded email.

The message board for Snopes.com says that this poem was also known as ‘A Crabby Old Woman’. And that this poem was written in the early 60’s by a Nurse at Sunnyside Hospital for the hospital magazine. A copy of it went to Ashludie Hospital in Dundee where a patient copied it in her own hand and it was found in her locker when she died. It was originally called “Look Closer.” The author’s name is sometimes given as Phyllis McCormack.

A Nurses’ Reply to ‘A Crabby Old Woman’

Yes, we are thinking when looking at thee! We may seem to be hard when we hurry and fuss, But there’s many of you and too few of us. We would like far more time to sit by you and talk, To bath you and feed you and help you to walk, To hear of your lives and the things you have done; Your childhood, your husband, your daughter, your son, But time is against us, there’s too much to do- Patients too many and nurses too few. We grieve when we see you so sad and alone, With nobody near you, no friends of your own. We feel all your pain, and know of your fear That nobody cares now your end is so near. But nurses are people with feelings as well, And when we’re together, you’ll often hear tell Of the dearest old Gran in the very end bed, And the lovely old Dad, and the things that he said, We speak with compassion and love, and feel sad When we think of yours and the joy that you’ve had. When the time has arrived for you to depart, You leave us behind with an ache in our heart. When you sleep the long sleep, no more worry or care, There are other old people, and we must be there. So please understand if we hurry and fuss– There are many of you and too few of us.

Do You Like Being Old?

As I’ve aged, I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

I’ve learned that inner beauty is much more important than being beautiful, and to not worry about what others may think of me. Besides whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50, 60 & 70’s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

Soon they, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. But, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car?

But, broken hearts are what give us strength, understanding, and compassion.

A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never fully know the joy of Love.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, “yes, I like being old.”

It has set me free.

I like the person I have become.

I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

Treat Her in a Good Way

The Elders say the men should look at women in a sacred way.
The men should never put women down or shame them in any way.
When we have problems, we should seek their counsel.
We should share with them openly.
A woman has intuitive thought.
She has access to another system of knowledge that few men develop.
She can help us understand.
We must treat her in a good way.

Source: Aboriginal and Tribal Nation News

Realize the Value

To realize

The value of a sister/brother: Ask someone who doesn’t have one.

To realize

The value of ten years: Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize

The value of four years: Ask a graduate.

To realize

The value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize

The value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize

The value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize

The value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper

To realize

The value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize

The value of one-second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize

The value of a friend or family member: LOSE ONE.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

Remember….Hold on tight to the ones you love!

Girlie Wisdom!

Ø  A friend of mine confused  her Valium with her birth control pills… She has 14 kids but she doesn’t really care.

Ø  One of life’s mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.

Ø  My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

Ø  The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don’t know what you are doing, someone else does.

Ø  The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.

Ø  Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Ø  Sometimes  I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

Ø  I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my panties.

Ø  Amazing! You hang something in your closet, for a while, and it shrinks 2 sizes!

Ø  Skinny people irritate me! Especially  when they say things like…’You know sometimes I forget to eat!’  Now, I’ve forgotten my address, my mother’s maiden name, and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

Ø  The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing — and then they marry him.

Ø  I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day!

What Does Love Mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds.

‘What does love mean?’

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

Touching words from the mouth of babes… what do you think:

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore … So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’
~Rebecca- age 8

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’
~Billy – age 4

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’
~Karl – age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’
~Chrissy – age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’
~Terri – age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’
~Danny – age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.’
~Emily – age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
~Bobby – age 7

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend, who you hate,’
~Nikka – age 6

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and then he wears it every day.’
~Noelle – age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’
~Tommy – age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’
~Cindy – age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’
~Clare – age 6

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’
~Elaine-age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’
~Chris – age 7

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’
~Mary Ann – age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’
~Lauren – age 4

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’
~Karen – age 7

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’
~Mark – age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’
~Jessica – age 8

And the final one…

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, ‘Nothing, I just helped him cry.’

When there is nothing left but God, is when you find out that God is all you need.

*Note story first posted on snoops.com  08 March, 2003