As We Remember Mother

There come before us the memories of mothers. Many mothers blessedly are with us, to whom we may turn our grateful attention, but many are unreachably far from us, and when they are gone, somehow we seem to have a sense of things we wish we had done that we didn’t do. And now as to memories: We remember patient lessons taught, and pride in lessons learned; we remember cupboards that always held some when we came home hungry; we remember nights when we returned too late when she was always awake and waiting; we remember picnics and tired returnings when she who had so much more reason to be weary than we would help us with knotted laces and stubborn buttons, and see us settled in sleep, and then attend to countless household chores before she thought of sleep herself. We remember things she afforded us which she wouldn’t afford for herself and places she helped us go which she didn’t go, and we remember her pleasure in learning of our pleasure when we returned to tell what we had seen and done. We remember cool, clean sheets and the wearisome labor of washing that it took to make them so; and clean, fresh clothes, sometimes hung out in the heat of summer, sometimes in the cutting winter wind when the hands that hung them out and brought them back would be aching. We remember arms held open for us when we were hurt, hopes held high for us when we were down and discouraged, and quiet comfort for our disappointments, and sustaining strength and faith for our future. We remember sorrows shared and confidences that were always kept. We remember cool, quieting hands and comforting encouragement in fever and in illness; and tempting foods fixed for us, sleep lost for us, and prayers said for us. We remember prayers spoken at her knees, and her own prayers to an Eternal Father who did not fail her. All this and much more we remember of Mother. And this we would say to you who have mothers with you yet: Do for them now and be to them now what you wish you had done and would wish you had been if they were not now with you. Thank God for mothers and for hallowed memories.