As I was driving the other day with my two children, an experience that is never quiet or still, I reached behind me to hand or remove something from my 3-yr-old’s grasp while keeping my eyes and wheels on the road. My young daughter, sitting shotgun during a rare moment, wondered in amazement how I could reach so far behind me. Her amazement instantly brought recognition of mine – and all mother’s – amazing abilities and wondrous transformations. In this instant, flashes of my pre-Mom self ran through my mind especially the curvy, soft limbs indicative of relaxation and calmness (activities I yearn for but am rarely allowed). During this awareness of my physical and emotional changes - nee growth – during these few years of motherhood, the following verses came to mind…
A Mother’s Arms
Enclosed and protective
Like feathered wings
Strong and mighty
Warmly loving
Tender and safe.
A Mother’s arms
Always reaching
Stretching, pulling, shielding -
Always equal to
More than enough.
Sinewy muscled;
Softly slender before.
A Mother’s arms
Transformed
Youthful girl gone
No longer caressing
Flesh to flesh entwined.
Loving, yielding
Yet able
To disarm
Carry, remove.
Long and languid
Always loving
Ever-protecting
Safe and warm.
Strong arms of motherhood -
A child’s home.
Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy every adventure your life brings.
