TheList 6089 Mother's Day

The List 6089     TGB

Good Sunday morning    May 8

I hope you all have a great Mother's Day today

Regards,

Skip.

The List 6089

I know it is a lot but some things are just worth repeating especially when

Mom is involved.

To All,

This edition is devoted to the Mothers out there. I hope you all have a

wonderful Mother's day.

Regards,

Skip

Submitted by Bill Quintero:

25 Reasons I Owe My Mother

.  My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.--"If you're going to

kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

.  My mother taught me RELIGION.--"You better pray that will come out of

the carpet."

.  My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.--"If you don't straighten up, I'm

going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

.  My mother taught me LOGIC.--"Because I said so, that's why."

.  My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.--"If you fall out of that swing and

break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

.  My mother taught me FORESIGHT.--"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in

case you're in an accident."

.  My mother taught me IRONY.--"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to

cry about."

.  My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.--"Shut your mouth and

eat your supper."

.  My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.--"Will you look at that dirt on

the back of your neck!"

.  My mother taught me about STAMINA.--"You'll sit there until all that

spinach is gone."

.  My mother taught me about WEATHER.--"This room of yours looks as if a

tornado went through it."

.  My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.--"If I told you once, I've told you

a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

.  My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.--"I brought you into this world,

and I can take you out."

.  My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.--"Stop acting like your

father!"

.  My mother taught me about ENVY.--"There are millions of less fortunate

children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

.  My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.--"Just wait until we get home."

.  My mother taught me about RECEIVING.--"You are going to get it when you

get home!"

.  My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.--"If you don't stop crossing your

eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

.  My mother taught me ESP.--"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know

when you are cold?"

.  My mother taught me HUMOR.--"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes,

don't come running to me."

.  My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.--"If you don't eat your

vegetables, you'll never grow up."

.  My mother taught me GENETICS.--"You're just like your father."

.  My mother taught me about my ROOTS.--"Shut that door behind you. Do you

think you were born in a barn?"

.  My mother taught me WISDOM.--"When you get to be my age, you'll

understand."

.  My mother taught me about JUSTICE.--"One day you'll have kids, and I

hope they turn out just like you."

Submitted by Jamie and Linda Hapgood:

    A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another

mother I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation.  "Do

you know what you and I are?" she demanded. Before I could answer, and I

didn't really have one handy, she blurted out the reason for her question.

    It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at

the County Clerk's office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her

occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. What I

mean is," explained the recorder, "Do you have a job, or are you just a

...?"

    "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother."

    "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation...'housewife' covers it," said

the recorder emphatically.

    I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same

situation, this time at our own town hall. The clerk was obviously a career

woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like

Official Interrogator or Town Registrar. "And what is your occupation?" she

probed.

    What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a

research associate in the field of child development and human relations."

    The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and she looked up as

though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the

most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous

pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

    "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "Just what do you do

in your field?"

    Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply,

"I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the

laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out).

I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four

credits (all daughters)."

    "Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any

mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24/7 is more like

it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and

the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money."

    There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she

completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

    As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I

was greeted by my lab assistants--ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear

our new experimental model (6 months) in the child-development program,

testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant!  I had scored a beat on

bureaucracy!  And I had gone on the official records as someone more

distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother."

    Motherhood...what a glorious career.

The Images of Mother:

.  4 years of age--My mommy can do anything!

.  8 years of age--My mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

.  12 years of age--My mother doesn't really know quite everything.

.  14 years of age--Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either

.  16 years of age--Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

.  18 years of age--That old woman? She's way out of date!

.  25 years of age--Well, she might know a little bit about it

.  35 years of age--Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

.  45 years of age--Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

.  65 years of age--Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

Submitted by Dean Laird:

If you are lucky to still be blessed with your Mom, this is beautiful. For

those who aren't, this is even more beautiful. For those who are moms,

you'll love this:

    The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long

way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the 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, and

gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear

streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing

will ever be lovelier than this."

    Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the

children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and

covered them with her mantle, 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 when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have

done it without you."

    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

fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today,

I've given them strength."

    And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds

of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the

mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. "And the children looked

and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the

darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for

I have shown my children God."

    And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and

the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall

and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted

her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and

beyond 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 alone, and 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 like ours 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 bleach in your freshly

laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your

Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear

drop. 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 and your first

heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space...

not even death!

   

Submitted by Holly Vanderpool:

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've

had a baby...

Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "Normal," is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct.

Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring...

Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good."

Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices...

Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a

golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.

Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.

Somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing

questions in the books...

Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.

Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of

kindergarten or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied

behind her back...

Somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.

Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a

mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.

Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.

Somebody isn't a mother.

What Moms Really Want For Mother's Day

.  To be able to eat a whole candy bar (alone) and drink a soda without any

"floaties" (i.e., backwash).

.  To have her 14 year-old daughter answer a question without rolling her

eyes in that "Why is this person my mother?" way.

.  Five pounds of chocolate that won't add twenty pounds to her figure.

.  A shower without a child peeking through the curtain with a "Hi Ya Mom!"

just as she puts a razor to her ankle.

.  A full time cleaning person who looks like Brad Pitt.

.  For her teenager to announce, "Hey, Mom! I got a full scholarship and a

job all in the same day!"

.  A grocery store that doesn't have candy/gum/cheap toys displayed at the

checkout line.

.  To have a family meal without a discussion about bodily secretions.

.  To be able to step on a plane with their toddlers and NOT have someone

moan, "Oh no! Why me?!?"

.  To occasionally get to sleep late on the weekend. I mean is this too

much to ask?

.  To actually carry on a normal phone conversation with her toddler in the

SAME room.

.  To actually be able to finish a HOT cup of coffee while her kids are

present. An impossible feat!

.  To take a hot bath without her toddler suddenly screaming, "Mommy, I

have to go potty!" as soon as she hits the water.

The following are different answers given by school-age children to the

given question:

Why did God make mothers?

.  She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

.  Think about it, it was the best way to get more people.

.  Mostly to clean the house.

.  To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

.  He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

.  Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

.  God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger

parts.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

.  We're related.

.  God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

.  God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in

the world and one dab of mean.

.  They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use

string... I think.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

.  My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

.  I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

.  They say she used to be nice.

How did your mom meet your dad?

.  Mom was working in a store and dad was shoplifting.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

.  His last name.

.  She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on

beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to

chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

.  My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.

.  She got too old to do anything else with him.

.  My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

What makes a real woman?

.  It means you have to be really bossy without looking bossy.

Who's the boss at your house?

.  Mom doesn't want to be boss but she has to because dads such a goofball.

.  Mom, you can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

.  I guess Mom is but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

.  Moms work at work and work at home and dads just got to work at work.

.  Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

.  Dads are taller and stronger but moms have all the real power 'cause

that's who you gotta ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

.  Mothers don't do spare time.

.  To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What's the difference between moms and grandmas?

.  About 30 years.

.  You can always count on grandmothers for candy. Sometimes moms don't

even have bread on them!

Describe the world's greatest mom?

.  She would make broccoli taste like ice cream!

.  The greatest mom in the world wouldn't make me kiss my fat aunts!

.  She'd always be smiling and keep her opinions to herself.

Is anything about your mom perfect?

.  Her teeth are perfect but she bought them from the dentist.

.  Her casserole recipes. But we hate them.

.  Just her children

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

.  On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of

plastic surgery.

.  Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

.  She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of

that.

.  I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it

and not me.

For those whose mom wasn't up to snuff, remember: you have two chances at

having a family, the one you were born in and the one you make.  Remembering

also that a family is the circle of people with whom you associate.  Your

present 'family' is what you make it.

Don't forget your mother or special woman on Sunday.and every day,

Al

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More  Mother's day items thanks to Al  there are just not enough to cover it

all

Written by Erma Bombeck:

    By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into his sixth day of

working overtime. An Angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much

time on this one"? And the Lord answered and said, "Have you seen the spec

sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200

movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a

lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she

stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a

broken heart, and have six pairs of hands."

    The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs

of hands! No Way!" said the Angel.

    The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's

the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

    "And that's just on the standard model?" The Angel asked.

    The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yes, one pair of eyes are to see

through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even

though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head is to see

what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third

pair is here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant

child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even

saying a single word."

    The Angel tried to stop the Lord. "This is too much work for one day.

Wait until tomorrow to finish."

    "But I can't!" the Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this

creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when

she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can

get a nine year old to stand in the shower."

    The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her

so soft, Lord."

    "Yes, she is soft", the Lord agreed, "But I have also made her tough.

You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

    "Will she be able to think?" asked the inquisitive Angel.

    The Lord smiled and replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she

will be able to reason, and negotiate."

    The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the

woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told

you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

    "That's not a leak." The Lord objected. "That is a tear!"

    "What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

    The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow,

her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

    The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of

everything! Truly, You do all things well... Moms are truly amazing!"

What Moms Really Want For Mother's Day

To be able to eat a whole candy bar (alone) and drink a soda without any

"floaties" (i.e., backwash).

To have her 14 year-old daughter answer a question without rolling her eyes

in that "Why is this person my mother?" way.

Five pounds of chocolate that won't add twenty pounds to her figure.

A shower without a child peeking through the curtain with a "Hi Ya Mom!"

just as she puts a razor to her ankle.

A full time cleaning person who looks like Brad Pitt.

For her teenager to announce, "Hey, Mom! I got a full scholarship and a job

all in the same day!"

A grocery store that doesn't have candy/gum/cheap toys displayed at the

checkout line.

To have a family meal without a discussion about bodily secretions.

To be able to step on a plane with their toddlers and NOT have someone

moan, "Oh no! Why me?!?"

To occasionally get to sleep late on the weekend. I mean is this too much

to ask?

To actually carry on a normal phone conversation with her toddler in the

SAME room.

To actually be able to finish a HOT cup of coffee while her kids are

present. An impossible feat!

To take a hot bath without her toddler suddenly screaming, "Mommy, I have

to go potty!" as soon as she hits the water.

These familiar saying have somehow been handed down from mother to daughter

right through the ages. How many of these did you grow up with?

Who do you think you are?

Ask your father (closely followed by "Ask your Mother") Bored! How can you

be bored? I was never bored at your age.

I'll treat you like an adult when you start acting like an adult!

Look at me when I'm talking to you.

Don't you roll your eyes at me!

Don't pick it, it'll get infected.

I don't care if "insert child's name here" Mom said yes.

You'll put your eye out with that thing!

I'm going to give you to the count to three.

Don't put that thing in your mouth; you don't know where it's been.

Wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident and have to go to

hospital.

Don't cross your eyes like that, one day they'll freeze that way I don't

care who started it, I'll finish it!

Don't EVER let me catch you doing that again!

Why? Because I SAID SO, that's why!?!

If such and such jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?

If I catch you doing that one more time, I'll...

Your father is going to hear about THIS when he gets home!

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

How many times do I have to tell you, don't throw things in the house!

Do you think your clothes are going to pick themselves up?

"I don't know" is NOT an answer!

I know it's not fair. Life isn't fair.

Real Mothers.

Don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Know that dried PlayDough doesn't come out of shag carpets.

Don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says,

"Because I love you best".

Know that a child's growth is not measure by height or years or grade.it is

marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mom.

Submitted by Henry Donselman:

Mother's Day.

If evolution really works, how come Mothers only have two hands?

Personally, I think today's kids ought to do something really special for

their Mothers on Mother's Day -- like move out!

Hey guys -- looking for a great gift for your Mother-in-Law on Mother's

Day? Why not send her back her daughter???

A single Mom was asked by a friend what her son was taking in college. With

a sigh she replied, "Everything I have."

Fathers -- take heart, your day is coming, and you can be sure of getting

at least one thing -- the bills from Mother's Day.

Most Mothers are always amazed when their sons/daughters marry a person

with much lower mental capacity, ambition and moral standards, yet still

manage to have utterly brilliant children.

Mothers come in all shapes and sizes. For example, an Italian Mother might

chastise her offspring for not eating by saying, "Eat your dinner, or I'll

kill you." A Jewish Mother on the other hand would say, "Eat your dinner,

or I'll kill myself."

A daughter broke-up with her boyfriend. She asked her Mother's advice about

returning the gifts he'd given her. Without a pause, her Mother replied,

"Send back the stuffed animals and letters, but keep the jewelry for

sentimental reasons."

What did God say after creating man?  I can do better.

    A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to

a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in

Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later on Mother's Day, Juan sends a

picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she

tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal.

    Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen

Ahmal!"

Submitted by Paul Ferrara:

(This could also be just about any ethnicity, yet my friend submitted it as

Jewish mothers so that is how I present it.)

The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese

food so much. The study revealed that this is due to the fact that WonTon

spelled backwards is Not Now.

There's a big controversy on the Jewish view of when life begins. In Jewish

tradition, the fetus is not considered viable until after it graduates from

medical school.

Q: Why don't Jewish mothers drink?

A: Alcohol interferes with their suffering.

Q: Have you seen the newest Jewish-American Princess horror movie?

A: It's called "Debbie Does Dishes".

Q: Why do Jewish Mothers make great parole officers?

A: They never let anyone finish a sentence.

Q: What's a Jewish American Princess' favorite position?

A: Facing Bloomingdale's

When the doctor called Mrs. Liebenbaum to tell her that her check came

back, she replied, "So did my arthritis."

A man calls his mother in Florida. "Mom, how are you?"

"Not too good," says the mother. "I've been very weak."

The son says, "Why are you so weak?"

She says, "Because I haven't eaten in 38 days."

The man says, "That's terrible. Why haven't you eaten in 38 days?"

The mother answers, "Because I didn't want my mouth to be filled with food

if you should call."

A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he's been given a

part in the school play.  "Wonderful. What part is it?"

The boy says, "I play the part of the Jewish husband."

The mother scowls and says, "Go back and tell the teacher you want a

speaking part."

Q: Where does a Jewish husband hide money from his wife?

A: Under the vacuum cleaner.

Q - How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?

A - (sigh) Don't bother, I'll sit in the dark, I don't want to be a

nuisance to anybody.

Short summary of every Jewish holiday as told by Mom: They tried to kill

us, we won, let's eat.

Did you hear about the bum who walked up to the Jewish mother on the street

and said, "Lady, I haven't eaten in three days."

"Force yourself," she replied.

Q: What's the difference between a Rottweiler and a Jewish Mother?

A: Eventually, the Rottweiler lets go.

Jewish telegram: "Begin worrying. Details to follow."

Submitted by Diane Laos and Alan Krause Jr:

NOW HIRING

POSITION:  Parent

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent

work in an often chaotic environment.  Candidates must possess excellent

communication and organizational skills and be willing to work various

hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts

on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive

camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway

cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed.  Extensive courier duties also

required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: This is for the rest of your life.  Must be willing to be

hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be

willing to bite tongue repeatedly.  Also, must possess the physical stamina

of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat

in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just

crying wolf.  Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,

such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck

zippers.  Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate

production of multiple homework projects.  Must have ability to plan and

organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap,

plastic toys and battery operated devices.  Must always hope for the best

but be prepared for the worst.  Must assume final, complete accountability

for the quality of the end product.  Responsibilities also include floor

maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your objective

is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining,

constantly retraining and updating your skills so those in your charge can

ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training

offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses.

A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that

college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you

give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary

scheme is you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition

reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job

supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life

if you play your cards right.

This is for all the mothers.

Who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf

laced with Kraft Dinner and wieners, birthday cake, and cherry Kool-Aid

saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."

Who have walked around the house all night with their babies when they kept

crying and wouldn't stop.

Who have shown up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on

their blouses and diapers in their purses

Who have run carpools and made dozens of cookies for school teas and sewn

Halloween costumes.

Who HAVEN'T because they're at work trying to keep on top of the bills.

Who gave birth to babies they'll never see

Who took those babies and gave them homes and all their love.

Who have frozen their buns off in bleachers at hockey, baseball or soccer

games any night of the week instead of watching from their cars, so that

when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I

wouldn't have missed it for the world," and meant it.

Who have yelled at their kids in the grocery store and swatted them in

despair when they stomped their feet like a tired 2-year old does, who

wants ice cream before dinner, and then hated themselves for "losing" it.

Who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies.

Who wanted to but just couldn't.

Who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year.  And then read it

again. "Just one more time."

Who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school.

Who opted for Velcro instead.

Who taught their sons to cook and sew and their daughters to be brave and

strong (and sink a jump shot).

Whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd,

even though they know their own offspring are at home or grown up.

Who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be

just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an

hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away. And they do.

Whose children have gone astray, and who can't find the words to reach them.

Who bite their lips sometimes until  they bleed when their 14-year old dyes

their hair green.

What makes a good Mother anyway?

Is it patience?

Compassion?

Broad hips?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all

at the same time?

Or is it the heart?

Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down

the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

Or the terror in your heart at 1 AM when your teenager with the new

driver's license is an hour late getting home.

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2A.M. to

put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

Or to feel the dull ache as you look in on your sleeping daughter or son

the night before they leave for a college in another city.

The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear

news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

This is for all the mothers.

Of the victims of all the school shootings, and the mothers of those who

did the shooting.

Of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror,

hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

Who have tearfully placed flowers and teddy bears on their children's

graves.

Whose children have died from illness, accidents and the worst of all and

hardest to comprehend, suicides.

Stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation.

Who have learned and are still learning, to let go.

This is for working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and

married mothers. Grandmothers whose wisdom and love remains a constant for

their grown children and their children's children.

Submitted by Norm Rech:

The Mom Test

    I was out walking with my four-year-old daughter.  She picked up

something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth.  I took the

item away from her and I asked her not to do that.

    "Why?" my daughter asked.

    "Because it's been on the ground; you don't know where it's been; it's

dirty; and it probably has germs," I replied.

    At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and

asked, "Mom, how do you know all this stuff?  You are so smart."

    I was thinking quickly and replied, "All moms know this stuff.  It's on

the Mom Test.  You have to know it, or they don't let you be a mom."

    We walked along in silence for two or three minutes, but she was

evidently pondering this new information.  "Oh.I get it!" she beamed, "So if

you don't pass the test you have to be the dad."

    "Exactly," I replied with a big smile on my face.

Submitted by Skip Leonard:

    Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's

getting late. I think I'll go to bed."

    She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.

Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the

following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar

container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for

brewing the next morning.

    She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into

the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the

game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the

telephone book into the drawer.

    She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.  She stopped by

the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the

excursion and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.  She

signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and

wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her bag.

    Mom then washed her face with 3-in-1 cleanser, put on her night

solution and age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth.

    Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

    "I'm on my way," she said. She put some water into the dog's dish and

put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio

light was on.. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their

bedside lamps and radios, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the

hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

    In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day,

straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her six most

important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the

accomplishment of her goals.

    About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in

particular. "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought.

    Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer?  'Cause they

are made for the long haul...(and they can't die sooner, they still have

things to do!!!!)

    Women are so special!  God's very own creation!

    A baby was about to be born, the child asked God, "They tell me you are

sending me to earth tomorrow, how am I going to live there being so small

and helpless?"

    "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

    The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have

to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

    God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.

And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

    Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand

when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

    God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words

you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach

how to speak."

    "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

    God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you

how to pray."

    "Who will protect me?"

    God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its own

life."

    "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

    God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach

you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

    At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from earth

could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now,

please tell me my angel's name."

    "You will simply call her 'MOM.'"

God's Message to Women

    When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When

I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you,

woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your

nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I

could patiently and perfectly fashion you.

    Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the

creativity. From one bone I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects

man's life. I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports

him, as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you. I modeled

you. I created you perfectly and beautifully.

    Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet delicate and fragile.

You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His

heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life.

    The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage

to the heart. Support man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not

taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to

be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand beside him and be held

close to his side.

    You are my perfect angel, my beautiful little girl. You have grown to

be a splendid woman of excellence, and my eyes fill when I see the virtues

in your heart. Your eyes are beautiful. Your lips, how lovely when they part

in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form, your hands so gentle to touch.

I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep; I've held your heart close to

mine. Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like me. Adam walked

with me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely. He could not see me or

touch me. He could only feel me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and

experience with me, I fashioned in you: my holiness, my strength, my purity,

my love, my protection and support.

    You are special because you are the extension of me. Man represents my

image--Woman, my emotions. Together, you represent the totality of God.

    So man, treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In

hurting her, you hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In hurting her,

you only damage your own heart, the heart of your Father, and the heart of

her Father.

    Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have

given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him that

you are the rib that protects his inner self.

Be thankful for all the women in your life-not just mothers, but

grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, etc. 

Al