Here's to you, Mom!

Someone sent me these lines through email - it wasn't one of those 'usual' forwarded messages - what better time to share this with the world during the time when we all celebrate our mothers? This is what it said:

Here's to all the mothers who DIDN'T win Mother of the Year - All the runners-up and all the wannabes; the mothers who were too tired to enter or too busy to care.

Here's to all the mothers who sat in the sweltering heat under a 3 o'clock sun on uncomfortable metal chairs watching their 4 year old forget his lines in the school play - so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

Here's to all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up dribbly noses, teary eyes and oodles of throw-up saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here".

Here's to the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And to the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

Here's to all the mothers of the victims of shootings and war - of crime and devastation - and to the mothers of the murderers - the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home safe, from school.

Here's to all the mothers who run carpools and bake cakes and sew drama costumes. And to all the mothers who DON'T.

Here's to all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about the birds and the bees. And to all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.

Here's to all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired 2 year old who wants ice cream before dinner.

Here's to all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And to all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

Here's to all the mothers who bite their lips - sometimes until they bleed - when their 14 year olds paint their nails green.

Here's to all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.

Here' s to working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.

Here' s to mothers - all kinds of them - the ones that can nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time. And to the ones who can't and just give up in despair. The ones with an ache in the heart - which comes when you see your son or daughter turn back teary-eyed and trying to be brave going to school alone for the very first time.