Monday, December 14, 2009

A Mothers Journey



I have a book , A Mothers Journey,I have had this for many years given to me by my dear Honey. It has lovely illustrations of a mother and her children . It charts a mothers role in the teaching and helping of the children she has been gifted by God. It tells the story of God being with her guiding her as she listens to His words of love and encouragement in her vocation.
The question the mother asks of God " What is required?" is answered by her Shepherd as FAITHFULNESS. It then goes on to chart the seasons of the year with the seasons of the Mother's life.

It is a touching and beautiful story.

It touches my heart and I have been longing to share with you as we are preparing for the coming of the special baby...Jesus our Saviour.

I have found an online version that covers some of the verses but not all. The author is unknown and it is still a beautiful poem/story. But if you are able to access the book version you will see the vital parts about our dependence on God and the loving relationship between God and the Mother and thereby her children is missing form the poem below.

I pray though that it touches your heart as it does mine.

A Mothers Journey.

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is this the long way?" she asked.
And God answered her "Yes, this way is hard,
and you will be old before you reach the end of it.
But the end will be better than the beginning."
But 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,
taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike,
and reminded them to feed the dog
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,
and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead,
and the children climbed and grew weary,
and the mother was weary.
But at all times she said to the children,
a little patience and we are there."
So the children climbed and as they climbed
they learned to weather the storms.
And with this, she gave them strength to face the world.
Year after year she showed them compassion,
understanding, and hopes, but most of all...unconditional love.
And when they reached the top they said,
"Mother, we would not have done it without you."
The days went on, and the weeks and the months
and the years, and the mother grew old
and she became little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong,
and walked with courage.
And the mother, when she lay down at night,
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 on to their children."
And 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 wide.
And Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey.
And now I know the end is better than the beginning,
for my children can walk with dignity and pride,
with their heads held high, and so can their children after them."
And the children said,
"You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone,
and the gates closed after her.
And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still.
A Mother is more than a memory.
She is a living presence.
Your Mother is always with you.
She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street,
she's the smell of certain foods you remember,
flowers you pick and perfume that she wore,
she's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not feeling well,
she's your breath in the air on a cold winters day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep,
the colors of a rainbow,
she is your birthday morning.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter
and she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother shows every emotion...
happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy,
love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrows
- all the while hoping and praying
you will only know the good feelings in life.
She's the place you came from,
your first home,
and she's the map you follow with every step you take.
She's your first love,
your first friend, even your first enemy,
but nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space, not even death!
Author Unknown

Blessings,

3 comments:

Marilyn said...

Dear Gae - this is so incredibly beautiful. Thanks for sharing. It is something I have been contemplating for a few weeks - and this expresses so much I have been thinking of.

Hope you had a JOYFUL Gaudete Sunday.

Hugs

Anonymous said...

Dear Gae,
I've just dropped in and read this post. Oh my, it is hard for me to type through my tears. Would it be alright for me to post this on my blog?
I read your comment about the Lebkuchen, and as it is Sunday night here, I plan on doing some baking tomorrow and will post my recipe then. Looking forward to seeing yours.
God bless, and I am praying for you,
Anne

Gae said...

Dear Anne,
Oh, I am so sorry. I saw this and had it open to answer straight away and then got distracted and forgot.
I am hopeless if I do not answer staight away.
By all means PLEASE use it on your own blog.
I love sharing about the special gift of motherhood.
God Bless

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