The mothers we honor this
day have earned their
places through service and
sacrifice and years of
devotion.
The biological process of
reproduction is the same for
all women but it takes a
good deal more to be
initiated into that noble
sorority of motherhood.
it lakes a combination of
qualities – some which may
be natural or instinctive and
others which may require
. thoughtful development.
On bringing that insecure
creature home from the
hospital, a mother is
required to take care of it.
She must feed it, keep it
clean, keep it healthy and
keep it’s body and soul
growing.
On hearing its cry, she
must make instant
judgments of what is the
matter. No one is in a better
position to know.
Sometimes she must
suppress a selfish urge to
rush to its side, pick it up
and fondle it. On other
occasions she must do just
that – even when it is not
convenient or when it is
difficult.
As children grow she must
change, adapting not only to
the changes and moods of
her offspring, but to the
changes and moods of the
environment in which that
child is growing.
She carries much of the
responsibility of teaching
the child. At first the child
leams almost entirely from
her. Even in school when the
child is formally taught by
others, it is often the mother
who encourages, chides,
helps, and supports him in
preparing for his own adult
life,
Throughout infant years,
childhood days and
adolescence, she is virtually
compelled to do things few
if any other person would do
for a fellow human being.
To her, midnight illnesses
are no impusitions. To her,
problems, disappointments
and tragedies are burdens
which must be shared – the
impact of which are as great
or perhaps greater than they
are to the child.
Her rewards for a
lifetime of caring, of
cleaning, of teaching, of
worrying, of enduring
unkindnesses’?
Mainly the vicarious thrill
of watching her child
succeed and be happy.
And perhaps – if she’s
lucky – a hug, a kiss, a
favor, a treat, and a
smathering of recognition
along the way.
So They Say
“Congress has voted a
hodgepodge of tax rebates,
tax reductions, investment
tax credits and tax reforms
– all representing ‘fine
tuning’ of an economic
engine that requires a major
overhaul,” – Sen. Gary
Hun, D-Col.