Special Times and Places

Mother's Day I dedicate this page to Anne The Lady of my life Friend Companion Wife Mother Grandmother Great-Grandmother
We who knew her, are better persons because of her love. Anne, through the mothering of our children, and her love of people, drew out the spiritual in me. She is missed ... We celebrate her life. We also celebrate all the other Mothers of our immediate family. They are precious in our hearts.
"You're Nobody 'till Somebody Loves You" Midi by Frank Schober
*Journey on this page to ...*
Mother's Day Contents
Your return trip to ...
	Home ... Highlights of the Week	Web Site Index

*My Annual Mother's Day Wishes - Revised May 2014*	*From Grandpa Don*
A Mother's Day Thought - 2011	*Grandpa Don*
A Mother's Day Thought - 2010	*Grandpa Don*
A Mother's Day Thought - 2009	*Grandpa Don*
A Mother's Day Thought - 2008	*Grandpa Don*
Legacy of an adopted child *Revised 2008*	*A poem & a Tribute to my Mothers*
Why Mom's are so Special - 2004	Thanks Pat Bennet
*Happy Mother's Day 2003*	*Thanks Pat Bennet*
*Somebody Said - 2003*	*Thanks Pat Bennet*
Mother's Day Thoughts 2002	*Grandpa Don*
*A Parable For Mothers*	*A Tribute ... Thanks Karen*
*Mother Loves Best*	*Erma Bombeck*
*A Mother's Day Card*	*From RAOK*

A wish and a prayer renewed for 20143

A happy and blessed Mother's day to ...

Anne Marie
Karen
Diane

My Girls &
the Mothers of Our Grandchildren who have grown to be adults .

Sarah
Joelle

For Mother's Day of 2014 we add Joelle, wife of our grandson Anthony Albano and mother of our great granddaughter Emma, our third great grandchild.
For Mother's Day 2009 we added the name of Sarah, wife of our grandson Dominick Albano and mother of our great granddaughter Isabella Ann "Bella". In 2013 she gave us Matthew Joseph my first great grandson.

We also include my Mothers, ...
Lucile, who gave me life and
Sylvia who nurtured that life.
I owe them my life and my values in life. They share that.

There are also the mothers of the Cecora, Lossner and Copeland families, dear to me and part of our family.

Anne

And never forgotten, there is Anne, now born to eternal life. She remains dear to me as the mother of our children and as an example to them forever. She was not only a mother but ever a guide and inspiration to them and to me. None of us would be what we are without her. (Especially me.)

And to all the beautiful ladies who have dedicated their lives to nurturing and loving their children.

You are loved and appreciated.

((( HUGS )))

Grandpa Don

Where would we be without our mothers? Each one is different and has effected us in unique ways. But they have left their mark and we would not be who we are if it hadn't been for them. I have been blessed with two mothers and for them both I offer this prayer ...

If flowers grow in heaven Lord, then pick a bunch for me --- place them in my Mom's arms and tell her they're from me. --- Tell her that I love and miss her, and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while.

What can I say about motherhood that has not been said uncounted times by uncounted others? Well, what I can say is that I have the deepest reverence for mothers. They have taken on an awesome responsibility in two parts. In my case that two part responsibility has been shared. A mother has the seed of life planted within her and invests 9 months of discomfort in growing that seed into a human person culminating in the birth of a child, or maybe a number of children. A mother then switches rolls, to nurture that child from absolute helplessness to an adult person, an independent and hopefully productive person. Hopefully she has the help of a loving mate to assist in every step of the way. After the child has become an adult, the mother does not abdicate her role and loves her child (it will always be "her child") being concerned in its failures and set-backs and being joyful in its successes and triumphs. Motherhood is a lifetime commitment.

There must be a very special place in Heaven for mothers. It is mothers who are the closest thing to God. They are active participants in His creation. Any man, genius or idiot - successful or failure, can plant a seed. It takes a mother to make it grow. It takes Love, a mother's love - and there is nothing greater than that.

This year we add Sarah Albano to our list of family mothers and thank her (and Dominick) for the privilege of being a great grandfather. It has been a long time since we have had an infant in the family and the event brings us closer to our realization of what motherhood is all about. She begins the journey of her child from absolute helplessness as she develops in body and spirit, rapidly becoming more and more mature and independent.

The time goes fast and the child imagines itself more independent than it is. There is conflict in learning and teaching. Mom has been there and the child may be over-confident in its progress. There is tension between overconfidence and wisdom. There is tension between control and guidance. Finally young adulthood is reached, the foundation is laid and the main part of the job is done. If morality and values are not instilled long before, it is too late.

But a mother's concern does not go away, but continues as mistakes are made and challenges are met and overcome. Magically, Motherhood matures into grand-motherhood and the rewards are breathtaking.

And ... the great-granddad watches it all unfold ... again.
He cries with joy ... He thanks God for it all.

Mothers are very special people in that they are able to discover the secrete of life immediately after the conception of their first child. I don't refer only to the miracle of life evolving within them but the "truth" of life. There is often the onset of "morning" sickness, sometimes continuing through the day. Later there is the discomfort of carrying within them a new person straining the back, distorting the body to make room for itself. There are also the needs to make all kinds of accommodations in eating, drinking and general lifestyle to accommodate their new offspring, not yet sprung. This is the "normal" condition of pregnancy.

The new mother realizes, if she is wise, that this pain, discomfort and inconvenience is a normal state of things and is able to be joyful in it, knowing that if it were not like that she would not be pregnant.

After the birth of her child, mothers are likely to continue to respond to the "now" of life. The young child has needs that are often immediate and to which the mother instinctively reacts in love.

I have often said how grateful I am to have been born male. But as such I have been deprived of the many joys of female-hood including this valuable life lesson. The lesson that the condition in which I find myself now is life and the only alternative is a lack of life. Whatever that condition is I should be joyful to have it and I should live it to the best of my ability.

Why Mom's are so Special - Pat Bennet

Enjoy the answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of they're when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1 He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string. I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores.

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and works at home, and dads just got to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

I got this from my sister-in-law today and was not going to send it to anyone, then I read it and changed my mind... So much of this also goes for father's.... so I am sending it to a couple father's also.... often times if the father is not there doing the same thing, he is right behind his wife, helping......

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

Who walk around the house all night with their babies when they keep crying and won't stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

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.

This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.

For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own off-spring are at home.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids 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 them up. Right away.

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

For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed, when their 14- year-olds dye their hair green.

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew button on a shirt, all at the same time?

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

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of sleeping baby?

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

For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

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

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

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.

This is for you all. So hang in there. Please pass along to all the Mom's in your life.

Happy Mother's Day To Each And Everyone Of You! I Hope That You Have A Lovely Mother's Day. May You All Continue To Be Blessed!

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby
. . .somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct
. . .somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring
. . .somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good"
...somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices
. . .somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother
. . . somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first
. . .somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books
. . .somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery
. . .somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back
. . . somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.
...somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home
...somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her
. . . somebody isn't a mother.

Pat Bennett sent this to me in early April but I saved it for Mother's Day, 2003.

We do well to honor our mothers for their giving of life and their life of giving, by telling them so, by a gift, and by a big hug and a kiss, ... or a prayer. But, as children, and we will always be their children. we honor the most by our own lives.

So, let us honor our Mother on Mother's Day and every day. Let us live our lives in the manner which will honor her ... every moment of our lives.

The young Mother set her foot in the path of life.
"Is the way long?" she asked.

And her guide said, "Yes, the road is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But, the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young Mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So, she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way and bathed with them in the clear streams. The sun shone on them and life was good. The young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then night came, the storm, and the path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold. The Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come." The Mother said, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary. The Mother was weary but, at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the rest, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardship. Yesterday I gave them courage, today I have given them strength."

The next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil. The children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said, "Look up. Lift up your eyes to the Light." And the children looked up and saw the clouds of Everlasting Glory. The Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the day went on and the weeks and the months and the years. The Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But, her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, and she was light as a feather. Then at last they came to a hill and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the Mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning for my children can walk alone, and their children after them." And the children said, "You will always walk with us Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched as she went alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence."

This was recently given to me by Karen Plefka
It was included in the booklet for the Mass of Resurrection
for the mother of a very good friend of theirs.
It is a beautiful tribute to all mothers.

It is normal for children to want assurance that they are loved. Having all the warmth of the Berlin Wall, I have always admired women who can reach out to pat their children and not nave them flinch.

Feeling more comfortable on paper, I wrote the following each of my children.

TO THE FIRSTBORN: ... I've always loved you the best because you were our first miracle You were the genesis of a marriage, the fulfillment of young love, the promise of our infinity.

You sustained us through the hamburger years: the first apartment furnished in early poverty, our first mode of transportation (1955 feet), the 7-inch TV set we paid on for 36 months.

You were new, had unused grandparents and had more clothes than a Barbie doll. You were the "original model" for unsure parents trying to work bugs out. You got the strained lamb, open pins and three-hour naps.

TO THE MIDDLE CHILD: ... I've Always loved you best because you drew a dumb spot in the family and it made you stronger for it.

You cried less, had more patience, wore faded and never in your life did anything "first", but it only made you more special. You are the one we relaxed with and realized a dog could kiss you, and you wouldn't get sick you could cross street by yourself long before you were old enough to get married and the world wouldn't come to an end if you went to bed with dirty feet.

You were the child of our busy, ambitious years. Without you we would never have survived the job changes, the house we couldn't afford and the tedium and the routine that is marriage.

TO THE BABY: ... I've always loved you the best because endings are generally sad and you are such a joy. You readily accepted the milk-stained bibs, the lower bunk, the cracked baseball bat, the baby book, barren but for a recipe for graham-cracker pie crust that someone jammed between the pages.

You are the one we held to so tightly. For you see, you are the link with a past that gives a reason to tomorrow. You darken our hair, quicken our steps and square our shoulders, restore our vision and give us humor that security, maturity and endurity can't give. When your hairline takes on the shape of Lake Erie and your children tower over you will still be the baby.

Just last week I found this yellowed newspaper clipping in
a folder where Anne had saved it along with some other treasures.

... And to their mother
who tried so hard not to have a favorite,
but loved them all the best.

They are unable to stay with us for long, but while they do, they bring unprecedented joy and happiness to all they touch.

While they are here, we bask in their goodness and marvel at their contribution to the world.

When they leave, we are left with the devastation that comes with losing such a wonderful being...but we must remember...the earth bound angels are not ours to keep.

Sounds like someone I know.
This was sent to all the members of
RAOK as a Mothers Day card.

The World of Grandpa Don