A mother held her new baby
and very slowly rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she held him, she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The baby grew.
He grew and he grew
and he grew.
He grew until he was two years old,
and he ran all around the house.
He pulled all the books off the shelves.
He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator
and he took his mother's watch
and flushed it down the toilet.
Sometimes his mother would say,
"this kid is driving me CRAZY!"
But at night time,
when that two-year-old was quiet,
she opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor,
looked up over the side of his bed;
and if he was really asleep she picked him up
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The little boy grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was nine years old.
And he never wanted to come in for dinner,
he never wanted to take a bath,
and when grandma visited
he always said bad words.
Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!
But at night time, when he was asleep,
the mother quietly opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor
and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep,
she picked up that nine-year-old boy
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The boy grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a teenager.
He had strange friends
and he wore strange clothes
and he listened to strange music.
Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!
But at night time,
when that teenager was asleep,
the mother opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor
and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep
she picked up that great big boy
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
That teenager grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a grown-up man.
He left home and got a house across town.
But sometimes on dark nights
the mother got into her car and drove across town.
If all the lights in her son's house were out,
she opened his bedroom window,
crawled across the floor,
and looked up over the side of his bed.
If that great big man was really asleep
she picked him up and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
Well, that mother, she got older.
She got older and older and older.
One day she called up her son and said,
"You'd better come see me
because I'm very old and sick."
So her son came to see her.
When he came in the door she tried to sing the song.
She sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always . . .
But she couldn't finish
because she was too old and sick.
The son went to his mother.
He picked her up and rocked her back and forth,
back and forth,
back and forth.
And he sang this song:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.
When the son came home that night,
he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.
Then he went into the room
where his very new baby daughter was sleeping.
He picked her up in his arms
and very slowly rocked her back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while he rocked her he sang:
and very slowly rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she held him, she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The baby grew.
He grew and he grew
and he grew.
He grew until he was two years old,
and he ran all around the house.
He pulled all the books off the shelves.
He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator
and he took his mother's watch
and flushed it down the toilet.
Sometimes his mother would say,
"this kid is driving me CRAZY!"
But at night time,
when that two-year-old was quiet,
she opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor,
looked up over the side of his bed;
and if he was really asleep she picked him up
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The little boy grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was nine years old.
And he never wanted to come in for dinner,
he never wanted to take a bath,
and when grandma visited
he always said bad words.
Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!
But at night time, when he was asleep,
the mother quietly opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor
and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep,
she picked up that nine-year-old boy
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
The boy grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a teenager.
He had strange friends
and he wore strange clothes
and he listened to strange music.
Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!
But at night time,
when that teenager was asleep,
the mother opened the door to his room,
crawled across the floor
and looked up over the side of the bed.
If he was really asleep
she picked up that great big boy
and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
While she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
That teenager grew.
He grew and he grew and he grew.
He grew until he was a grown-up man.
He left home and got a house across town.
But sometimes on dark nights
the mother got into her car and drove across town.
If all the lights in her son's house were out,
she opened his bedroom window,
crawled across the floor,
and looked up over the side of his bed.
If that great big man was really asleep
she picked him up and rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she rocked him she sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
Well, that mother, she got older.
She got older and older and older.
One day she called up her son and said,
"You'd better come see me
because I'm very old and sick."
So her son came to see her.
When he came in the door she tried to sing the song.
She sang:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always . . .
But she couldn't finish
because she was too old and sick.
The son went to his mother.
He picked her up and rocked her back and forth,
back and forth,
back and forth.
And he sang this song:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.
When the son came home that night,
he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.
Then he went into the room
where his very new baby daughter was sleeping.
He picked her up in his arms
and very slowly rocked her back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while he rocked her he sang:
There is no way to be a perfect mother,
and a million ways to be a good one. 2
When I stopped seeing my mother
with the eyes of a child,
I saw the woman who helped me
give birth to myself. 3
I cannot forget my mother.
She is my bridge.
When I needed to get across,
she steadied herself long enough
for me to run across safely. 4
and a million ways to be a good one. 2
When I stopped seeing my mother
with the eyes of a child,
I saw the woman who helped me
give birth to myself. 3
I cannot forget my mother.
She is my bridge.
When I needed to get across,
she steadied herself long enough
for me to run across safely. 4
| I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be. 1 |
A printed card means nothing
except that you are too lazy
to write to the woman who has done more for you
than anyone in the world.
And candy!
You take a box to Mother
- and then eat most of it yourself.
A pretty sentiment. 5
Woman in the home has not yet lost her dignity,
in spite of Mother's Day,
with its offensive implication
that our love needs an annual nudging,
like our enthusiasm for the battle of Bunker Hill. 6
Treat your mother special;
Love her every day.
One day you’ll wish she were still here;
She will not forever stay.
For all the ladies gone before
I pray for heaven’s grace
To all the mothers here today
I wish you frills and lace. 7
except that you are too lazy
to write to the woman who has done more for you
than anyone in the world.
And candy!
You take a box to Mother
- and then eat most of it yourself.
A pretty sentiment. 5
Woman in the home has not yet lost her dignity,
in spite of Mother's Day,
with its offensive implication
that our love needs an annual nudging,
like our enthusiasm for the battle of Bunker Hill. 6
Treat your mother special;
Love her every day.
One day you’ll wish she were still here;
She will not forever stay.
For all the ladies gone before
I pray for heaven’s grace
To all the mothers here today
I wish you frills and lace. 7
This is the third year without my mother,
but we love her as ever,
and like her for always.
As long as we’re living
our Mom she will be.
but we love her as ever,
and like her for always.
As long as we’re living
our Mom she will be.
| Love your mother forever, like her for always, as long as you’re living your Mom she will be. To all mothers - Happy Mother’s Day! |
Credits
[1] -from Love You Forever ~Robert Munsch
[2] ~Jill Churchill
[3] ~Nancy Friday
[4] ~Renita Weems
[5] ~Anna Jarvis
[6]~John Erskine
[7] ~Marilyn Ferguson
[8] ~Heintje
Music: Green Grow The Lilacs (mom loved lilacs)
A Klaas+ contribution
[1] -from Love You Forever ~Robert Munsch
[2] ~Jill Churchill
[3] ~Nancy Friday
[4] ~Renita Weems
[5] ~Anna Jarvis
[6]~John Erskine
[7] ~Marilyn Ferguson
[8] ~Heintje
Music: Green Grow The Lilacs (mom loved lilacs)
A Klaas+ contribution
- a place where truth and beauty dwells: or write for information.
To submit comments, requests or materials,
contact me at: outreach@dawncoveabbey.org
contact me at: outreach@dawncoveabbey.org
I gladly welcome all article, haiku, humour and poem contributions
For empowerment workshops and seminars see: http://www.dawncoveabbey.org/healing-circle
For empowerment workshops and seminars see: http://www.dawncoveabbey.org/healing-circle
| _______________________________________________________ MorningStar Inspiration from Dawn Cove Abbey Roadside assistance for your Journey through Life Snippet Design: KT+ _______________________________________________________ |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Also see: Being A Mother and My Mom |
Lilacs and Pussy Willows
Every spring, it was a big deal for us kids to hunt for
the first pussy-willows of the season and bring them home
to mom – an even bigger deal if you were the “first” one to do so.
Later in life, it became a big deal to me to bring mom her first lilacs
of the season, and I would drive for miles to find early blooming ones.
Every spring, it was a big deal for us kids to hunt for
the first pussy-willows of the season and bring them home
to mom – an even bigger deal if you were the “first” one to do so.
Later in life, it became a big deal to me to bring mom her first lilacs
of the season, and I would drive for miles to find early blooming ones.
| My Mom Trijntje Tuinman (Van Zwol) 1917 - 2007 |
| Just a bunch of wild field-flowers, did he give to her 8 |
