Before I Was a Mom

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.~Tenneva Jordan

I had this post on listening formulating in my mind when I woke up today, wanting to share some of the ways that taking time to stop and listen has benefitted me over the past few weeks, but in my email this morning was this poem, which is a perfect offering for today, Mother's Day.

I'm supposed to pass it on to five awesome moms, but I know so many more awesome moms than that, so I decided to post it here instead. The editor in me, however, has tweaked it some to make it more personal to me and my situation, so if you get one in your email, that accounts for the difference :).

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome Moms and Grandmoms out there, and to those who aren't mothers....how blessed you are to be able to share your love with all the world. Because I know you do. In the schools, in the shelters, in the church, with your pets, your friends, and in your families as aunts and sisters. You don't have to give birth to know the power and pain and joy of Motherlove.

And if your mom is still alive, make sure you talk with her today. If nothing else, tell her Thank You for bringing you into this world.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
Or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
My plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations,
Or electrical outlets.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I was never used as a human napkin.
I had complete control of my mind
And my thoughts.
I never fell asleep with the theme song from Winnie the Pooh
doing an endless loop in my mind.
I slept all night.
Peacefully.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child.
So doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never spent three nights in a hospital room without leaving it.
I never read the same storybook over and over and over again.
I never spent hours playing with Play-Doh or Legos or ever-changing action figures.
I never watched so many animated videos.
Or simply watched a child sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
Or that something so small
Could grow to be so tall.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
Having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
To feed a hungry baby.
Or to buy a special treat or book or toy.
I didn't know that bond
Between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important and happy.
Or so frightened and inadequate.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
The joy,
The love,
The heartache,
The wonderment,
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
Or writing so well,
Before I was a Mom