A Mother

*Author's Note: I wrote this for my mother's 50th birthday. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

What is a mother?
A mother isn't a job, or a person, but an idea.
A mother is a lifelong commitment to selflessness.


Mothers are different than other women.
Their faces are worn, from years of nagging,
and their hair doesn't match the latest styles-
in fact, sometimes their hair isn't done at all.
A mother's clothing is often wrought with holes;
not because she can't afford nice clothes,
but because her children need the latest fashions.

A mother has certain gifts that may not seem obvious.
Her kisses can heal anything,
from broken bones to broken hearts.
Her hands are rough from years of hard work,
but are still the softest things on the earth.
She knows what you're thinking before you do,
and what you're about to do before you do it.

A mother can fix anything, from sinks to furnaces,
Even after engineering students have tried their best.
Sometimes, it seems as if she has six pairs of hands,
To work, to hold, to comfort, and to scold.
The heart of a mother is bottomless,
Full of forgiveness, of love, of caring-
A mother's love endures beyond all.


A mother's love cannot be measured.
It has no beginning, and has no end.