Till The Day I Die

‘For richer and poorer’
My mother has lived and loved
Every moment in her life greatly prized
From Arizona’s deserts
To Oklahoma’s wilderness
And the rest of the world, besides

She walked through the largest cities in the world
With wide-eyed wonder and girlish delight
Although she never feared returning home
To fight the good fight

Where she raised four wild children
With much grace, patience, optimism,
And a firm hand
The Home that others envied
Where she held us, loved us,
And was always ready to understand

Where she cooked, cleaned, washed and sprayed
And worked, and prayed, studied and stayed
And few were the times we appreciated
The sacrifices she lovingly made

Where her gardens grew green
And fed us many times
But don’t give credit to a “green thumb.”
She worked, slaved, persevered
And brought the flowers and vegetables up
No matter how hot the sun

She was an example to us, and to others
A counselor, a teacher, a fount of wisdom, and a friend
A sewer, a mender, a sower, a reaper,
A rock in times of trouble
And she will be, until the end

Although I am trying, I cannot express in words
How she was tough as nails
Yet as soft as the petals of a rose
Not given to flights of fancy,
She taught me the value of researching my opinions
These are things only a mother’s son knows

Sometimes, I wish I was still that little boy, playing outside
So I could come to her with my skinned knee, and bruised pride
So she could hold me as long as I needed her to
Hearing her prayers over me as I cried
That’s what I’ll never forget
Till the day I die