Last night, I was reading through the section entitled "Home and Mother." One poem that caught my eye was "Rock Me to Sleep" by Elizabeth Akers Allen. As with all poems, this piece can be interpreted in multiple ways. At its core, however, the poem is a letter written to a mother from her child. The child is now grown, and the trials and tribulations of adulthood seem to be wearing her down. She longs for the simplicity and frivolity of her childhood, where all pain could be eased and all sorrows could be soothed with just one motherly embrace.
A mother's love is a very powerful thing-- it starts before she's even seen her child, and it only grows exponentially from there. I know not everyone is as blessed as I am. There are individuals who have no mother, or perhaps for some reason they have a strained relationship with their mother. Granted, my relationship with my mother hasn't always been perfect (I admit, I was a teenage nightmare... and also, is any mother-daughter relationship perfect??). But I'm happy to say that I'm very close with her and she's the most wonderful and supportive mother a girl could have :) My mother is always thinking of my sisters and me, and she's always praying for us. She's never hesitant to help her daughters, and she loves us unconditionally. That's really all you can ask of a mother, isn't it? And in the end, the only thing that one should expect from a mother is unconditional love. My mother has never wanted anything for me and my sisters but peace and happiness. She's only wanted us to know love and joy, nothing more, nothing less.
I thought of her when I was reading "Rock Me to Sleep" last night. If you want, you can read the entire poem here (it's a bit lengthy, but worth reading). The stanza that stood out the most was the fourth:
Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone;
No other worship abides and endures,—
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours:
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy lids creep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
This stanza truly defines a mother's love -- there is nothing like it in the world. A mother's love lasts forever. It is faithful, unselfish, and patient. As much as I pride myself on trying to be independent and strong, I would be nothing without my mother. There are days that go by when I think I've got life all figured out. And it just takes one bad day to make me realize how much I miss my mom... A mother is a woman's eternal best friend, and mine is always willing to listen to any gripes I have, or offer her advice for any obstacle I encounter. I sent this poem to my mom today-- an excellent vehicle for expressing my appreciation for her mother-love. She responded with this:
"awww...lump in the throat...thanks for sharing, m'ija. Loving mothers are pretty special :) I'm grateful I have mine. kind of on the same note...i rec'd a text from amanda the night before she started her new job..."it's nights like these when I wish I still lived with my mommy"--sometimes, when life is making you crazy, nothing can take the place of your 'mommy.' I will always be here for you, Melanie Lynne! God bless you."
That sums it up. Nothing can take the place of your mommy.
Side note: My sisters and I generally make a point to refrain from calling our mother 'mommy...' that was simply a cutesie text from my sister. We're not 'that family.'
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