Mom Showed Me the Way

They say that only a Mom really knows
How quickly life moves, how fast time goes.
From babies to toddlers to school girls and boys
Rattles and stuffed animals to being too big for toys.

Those older and wiser try to tell the young Mom
To live life while they're young, they'll soon be at prom.
Soon driving and laughing, or texting all day
Growing and changing and moving away.

A Mom's heart breaks with each ache her child feels
Though she tries to soften the blows making deals.
With God or with man or whoever she can
To help her son grow up to be a man.

To moms everywhere on any given day
Your job is to see your children on their way.
To manhood and to womanhood too
Until you soon have no more job to do.

Moms take the blame for whatever goes wrong
And pass out the praise when the boy's big and strong.
'That's my boy' or 'That girl is mine'
Pride in your voice, eyes that do shine.

As I look toward my children, now all grown
I know that I'd give up all that I own.
To go back in time, if just for a day
To a time when a tiny baby in my arms did lay.

The future still so far far away
For now just only time to play.
And knowing then what now you know
How quickly that little baby would grow.

A good Mom works herself out of a job
The kids grow up and time does rob
The days away and memories too
Leaving Mom sometimes sad and blue.

But don't despair, Moms here and there
Before you know, life will soon be fair.
When that baby of yours has a baby too
For you to hold and rock and sing to.

That's what the older ones all know
Life's endless circle as little ones grow.
You've done your job, you did your best
And now you've earned your little rest.

Thanks to all the Moms, especially mine
You raised all eight, should have been nine.
You saw us all through thick and thin
You did it all while wearing a grin.

Because you knew our time would come
We'd have to let go of our own little ones.
Wave good-bye and choke back our tears
Let them go their own way despite all the fears.

Thanks dear Mom for showing me the way
And for teaching me how to sing and to play.
Showing me what a good Mom should do
When I grew up, I became just like you.

-- Original version was published on Yahoo Voices as a Mother's Day tribute to my Mom for Mother's Day 2012. This tribute has been revised for publication on my blog.

How Being a Mom Changed My Life

Like many moms-to-be, I read the books and took the classes. I was raised in a big family and also did some babysitting as a teen, so I thought I'd know exactly what to do when I became a mom.

March 15 will always be a special date in the timeline of my life; the day I became a mom. Life before motherhood was all about me, a night owl who liked to sleep late.

Then came Jenny, an early riser who woke up hungry for milk and mommy's embrace. From my oldest child, I learned selflessness. As a tiny infant, it was really difficult to keep Jenny awake to eat enough to fill her. She would doze off, then wake up crying again when I tried to put her back in bed.

Every time I look at my firstborn child, I remember sleepless nights followed by early mornings, the warmth of her skin against mine, the sound of her quiet breathing as she fell asleep in my arms, and the helplessness I felt when she cried and I couldn't calm her.

One of my fears when I was pregnant with my second child was that I wouldn't have enough love for both of my children. Jenny was a happy toddler who chatted constantly. We read books and played and she filled my time and my heart.

On March 21, three years and a few days after Jenny's birth, my second daughter Lauren was born. Lauren was an easy baby who woke up happy and rarely cried.

From my second child, I learned the math that every mom of more than one child knows -- that love divided quickly multiplies.

After Lauren was born, I often needed more than two hands. But I never needed more than one heart. My mom always said that she loved us all the same.

As a mom, the reality I learned from parenting two little ones is that you love each of your children as they need to be loved. Watching my girls interact filled me with love and joy.

I was tired all the time when I was pregnant with my third child. I worked midnight shift and slept in bits and pieces. During the daytime, I often volunteered at Lauren's preschool and Jenny's school.

On October 15, my son Jack was born. Jenny had turned 5 years old and Lauren had turned 2 years old in March. Life was busy -- how would I ever fit the needs of a new baby into our lives?

The girls doted on their baby brother. They wanted to do everything with him, even when he was way too tiny to actually play with them.

Full-time work and motherhood don't mesh well. There was always more to do than time to do it all. What I learned from my son is that the most important things in life aren't things. Kids grow up too quickly and parents need to make time to have fun.

I discovered a mom truth that my Mom learned years before me. A messy house is trumped by a warm spring day, beckoning us outdoors to play. Dishes in the sink aren't as important as playing My Little Ponies or Matchbox cars.

Babies grow into toddlers and teens as the years fly by at warp speed. Your little ones busy with ballet, soccer and preschool soon become middle school and high school kids busy with friends and activities. Blink your eyes and your kids have grown into adults.

When Kenny and I married, he was a package deal. Stephanie and Brian didn't grow inside of me, but they grew in my heart. Blended family life has its ups and downs, but life goes on and life is good.

When I look at my grown children, a part of me yearns for the busy days of their childhood. I wouldn't trade the memories for all the money in the world. My life was wrapped up in my kids and I'm so much richer for the gift of motherhood.

There are no words to describe what it's like to see your daughter holding her newborn baby. Being a first-time grandma is a little bit like reliving your parenting years. You aren't the boss this time around, but you already know how quickly the years go by and how precious each memory will be.

When you're a grandma, life is never boring. Seeing your precious grandchild enjoy new places and experiences is priceless.

Everything old really is new again when you're a grandma. A ho-hum day is brightened by a little voice whispering, "Grandma, you're the best" in your ear.

Like the birth of a second child, your heart expands when your second grandchild is born. You relive your baby's childhood through new eyes as you watch her parent her own baby.

The first grandchild may worry that a new grandchild means less love from grandma. What they don't know is that a grandma's heart -- like a mom's heart -- expands with love for each child.

Cousin love is a lot like sibling love. Sometimes they get along with each other and their love is easy to see, but other times they tease and squabble with each other.

And then there were three. A new baby granddaughter warms a grandma's heart. Sons and daughters each bring different gifts to the world and so do grandsons and granddaughters.

Life constantly marches forward. Time stands still for no man -- or grandma. Several years have passed since this Easter memory was made, but it still brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. For me, being a mom and grandma means that a part of my heart will always live outside my body.

Blogging Grandma Sandy, signing off for now.  

Portions of this blog post were originally published on Yahoo! Voices May 1, 2013

Mom Showed Me the Way

They say that only a Mom really knows

How quickly life moves, how fast time goes.

From babies to toddlers to school girls and boys

Rattles and stuffed animals to being too big for toys.

Those older and wiser try to tell the young Mom 

To live life while they're young, they'll soon be at prom. 

Soon driving and laughing, or texting all day 

Growing and changing and moving away.

A Mom's heart breaks with each ache her child feels 

Though she tries to soften the blows making deals. 

With God or with man or whoever she can 

To help her son grow up to be a man.

To moms everywhere on your own special day 

Your job is to see your children on their way. 

To manhood and to womanhood too 

Until you soon have no more job to do.

Moms take the blame for whatever goes wrong 

And pass out the praise when the boy's big and strong. 

'That's my boy' or 'That girl is mine' 

Pride in your voice, eyes that do shine.

As you look toward your children, now grown 

You know that you'd give up all that you own. 

To go back in time, if just for a day 

To a time when the baby in your arms did lay.

The future still so far far away 

For now just only time to play. 

And knowing then what now you know 

How quickly that little baby would grow.

A good Mom works herself out of a job 

The kids grow up and time does rob 

The days away and memories too 

Leaving Mom sometimes sad and blue.

But don't despair, Moms here and there 

Before you know, life will soon be fair. 

When that baby of yours has a baby too 

For you to hold and rock and sing to.

That's what the older ones all know 

Life's endless circle as little ones grow. 

You've done your job, you did your best 

And now you've earned your little rest.

Thanks to all the Moms, especially mine 

You raised all eight, should have been nine. 

You saw us all through thick and thin 

You did it all while wearing a grin.

Because you knew our time would come 

We'd have to let go of our own little ones. 

Wave good-bye and choke back our tears 

Let them go their own way despite all the fears.

Thanks dear Mom for showing me the way 

And for teaching me how to sing and to play. 

Showing me what a good Mom should do 

When I grew up, I became just like you. 

- Sandy Wallace, May 2, 2012

One of the perks of being a freelance writer is the freedom to write about whatever I want. I originally wrote this poem as a Mother's Day tribute to my Mom, published in May 2012 on the Yahoo Contributor Network. During the month of May 2015, we've made it through two more firsts: the first Mother's Day without our Mom and Mom's first birthday in Heaven. 

They say the first year spent grieving the loss of a loved one is the worst and that the pain lessens with time. Almost a year ago, we said our final good-byes to Mom and Dad. Mom died on June 5, 2014, and Dad followed her to their eternal home just 16 days later on June 21, 2014.

As I turned the calendar from May to June this year, those two dates stood out on the calendar as bleak reminders of this grief-filled year. Mom's homegoing took place early in the morning of my younger grandson's sixth birthday. Perhaps this was God's way of giving me a reason to celebrate June 5 each year, instead of just grieving. It seems fitting to republish this tribute as the date of Mom's death approaches.

I captured this photo of my Mom on one of my many visits back home. Mom always asked me to call when I was getting close to home so she could be ready and probably so she could be on the front porch waiting for me -- my personal welcome home committee of one. Dad was usually waiting inside, except when he was gone to Boy Scout camp.

This is one of my fondest memories of Mom -- waiting for one of her children to come home. Whether standing on the front porch waiting in the middle of the day or sitting on the living room davenport waiting in the middle of the night, waiting for her kids to come home is just what Mom did.

One of Mom's favorite sayings was, "You take it as it comes." Mom waited for us then as she waits for us now. When my days on earth come to an end, I expect to see Mom waiting for me on the other side -- my personal welcome home committee to Heaven. Until then, I'll take it as it comes. I Love you, Mom! You're loved and missed always.

A Mom's Love Lasts Forever

This post is dedicated to my Mom and my Mother-in-Law. Mom gained her angel wings on June 5, 2014. My Mother-in-Law Lurlene gained her angel wings on January 31, 2015.

The love of these two moms will always be in our hearts. Thanks Mom and Lurlene for making me and Kenny who we are today! We love you forever!

When you're a little kid, you really don't understand a mother's love. Yes, you know your mom loves you, but you really don't understand the depth and breadth of that love.

As a child, you don't realize that your mom would do anything for you -- that she would even give up her very life to save yours.

Babies are self-centered by nature, so God created moms to be selflessly in love with their children. When a baby's cry pierces the night, mom is awake and ready.

Moms learn maternal love from their own moms, who learned from their moms. Whether or not that look of love is captured in a photograph, the love of mother for child is timeless and lasts forever.

Although tested by her child's actions and words, a mother's love endures through the terrible twos and the challenging teen years.

A mother stands behind her child in times of trouble and sadness. She stands beside her child in times of joy and celebration. Even if she lives far away, a mom is always just a phone call away.

When little girls grow up to become moms, they truly understand how deep their mother's love goes. As you look into the eyes of your own baby, you begin to truly realize your own mom's love for you.

As your own children grow, your mom is the first person you reach out to in times of happiness. Your mom's also the person you seek out when things go wrong and you need advice.

That mama love extends to grandchildren too. That's why your children can do no wrong in the eyes of their loving grandma.

Moms of all ages cherish special family celebrations. Weddings, birthdays, graduations, holidays and other happy occasions fill moms and grandmas with joy to sustain them through more difficult times.

As time goes by, your mom becomes so much more than just a mother. She's your friend and advisor, your strength and wisdom, your rock.

I've lived far away from my mom for my entire adult life. As a result, most of our family celebrations didn't include my mom, but many have included my mother-in-law.

My trips back home were usually in the summertime or right after Christmas. It was rare for all of us adult kids to come home at the same time since we're all scattered across the country.

Although Mom disliked having her photo taken when she was younger, she mellowed with age and was okay with posing for photos, especially with her grandkids.

In recent years, it's been wonderful to go back home to celebrate my Mom's birthday with her. As an adult, you understand -- even if you don't accept -- that nothing lasts forever.

I'm grateful that Mom was willing to pose for photos more as she got older. When she was younger, she hated being photographed and often hid her face.

It's very true that the older you get, the more you appreciate your Mom. It's also true for many of us that the older we get, the more we become like our moms.

That thing about becoming more like our moms as we age is true with moms and sons too. As adults, we take on qualities we admire from both of our parents.

Time stands still for no man -- or woman. So, as we move forward in our life together, we honor and cherish the memory of our parents by living as they would want us to live. As they shared God's love with us, we have shared God's love with our children and grandchildren.

As they loved their children, we continue to love our children and grandchildren. One of the secrets of life that you realize as you get older is that love is worth so much more than things. Life goes on and life is good.

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven to our moms. Together with our dads, they are singing with the angels as they are joined together forever. Mom always said, "Some day we'll all be together."

But that day is not today. So for now, I'll take what I can get when I can get it and do the best I can to face each day with a smile on my face, a prayer on my lips and a song in my heart.

Blogging Grandma Sandy, signing off for now.