This is for the mothers
who have sat up all night
with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf with
Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid
saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here."

This is for the mothers
who gave birth to babies
they'll never see. 

And the mothers
who took those babies
and gave them homes.

For all the mothers
of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting,
and the mother of the murder.

For the mothers of the survivors,
and the mothers who sat in front of their TV's
in horror, hugging their child
who just came home from school safely.

For all the mothers who run carpools
and make cookies and sew costumes.

And all the mothers
who don't.

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 heart?

Is it the ache you feel
when you watch you son or daughter
disappear down the street,
walking to school alone
for the very first time?

The need to flee from wherever you are
and hug your child when you hear news of a school
shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?

This is for a reading "Goodnight, Moon"
twice a night for a year.

And then reading it again.
"Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers
who taught their daughters
to tie their shoelaces
before they started school.

And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

For all the mothers
who bite their lips
when their 14 year old dyes their hair green.

This is for all the mothers
who show up at work with spit-up in their
hair and milk stains on the blouses
and diapers in their purse.

This is for every mother
whose head turns automatically
when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd,
even though they know their own offspring
are at home.

This is for mothers
who put pinwheels and teddy bears
on their children's grave.

This is for mothers
whose children have gone astray,
who can't find the word to reach them.

This is for all the mothers
who sent their sons 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 their child up.
Right way!

This is for young mothers
stumbling through diaper changes
and sleep deprivation.

And mature mothers
learning to let go.

For working mothers
and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers
and married mothers.

Mothers with money,
mothers without.

This is for you all .
So hang in there.
You are so valuable to us,
simple words are hard to convey
How much we love you.

-Anonymous