Blessed Be
(inspired by a poem read to me in my writer's group)
Blessed be the mothers, for they reveal their truth
as they open to the birthing process, and
thus birth themselves.
Blessed be the mama sitting up in bed waiting
for the sounds of her teenaged child
coming home late. She will remember her own
tardiness.
Blessed be the mother as she endeavors to prepare
nutritious food her children will eat & enjoy.
May she know she is a 5 star chef.
Blessed be the mother, elbows on the table beside
her child doing its homework, her brain
working overtime. She will speak truthfully
and admit that she doesn’t know.
Blessed be the mother who sorts, washes, dries and
folds laundry every day. May she gain satisfaction
rather than frustration born of tedium.
Blessed be the mother who answers a late night
phone call from the police. May her heart
remain calm and her breath even.
Blessed be the mother who finds herself the sole
breadwinner with only a high school education. May
her entrepreneurial skills blossom and grow.
Blessed be the momma faced with a cranky colicky
baby and no idea what to do to soothe it. May
she find peace in the presence of a more
experienced mom who assures her that she has
what she needs inside her to care for her child.
Blessed be the mother who realized a mistake
she has made in raising her child. May
she realize she is not alone.
Blessed be the mother who sees the True Nature
of her child & guides her to her best expression
of it. May she be rewarded with a word of thanks.
Blessed be the mother who silently gives her
child the best cut of meat or the last cupcake,
realizing that her own mother did the same and
she never realized until now.
Blessed be the mom who stays up late on
Christmas Eve finishing a gift for her child.
The delight on her child’s face is her reward.
Blessed be the mother, late for supper, hands &
knees dirty as she comes in from the
vegetable garden. She will revel in fresh
tomatoes sprinkled with salt and basil.
Blessed be the mother who draws a hot bath
after supper & soaks for 15 minutes all alone.
She has a gentle smile when she emerges
from the bathroom. Her children will smile too.
Blessed be the mother who forgets a birthday,
but remembers to celebrate finding a
toad under the boxwood shrub. She is in
love with the world.