from Mountain Wings The young mother sat her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said "Yes and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning." But the young mother was happy and could not believe anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, fed them,bathed them,loved them, taught them to tie their shoes, ride a bike, reminded them to feed the dog, do their homework,brush their teeth. The sun shone on them and the young mother said "Nothing will ever be lovlier than this. Then the nights came and the storms and the path was sometimes dark. The children shook with the cold and fear and the mother drew them close and wrapped her arms around them. And the children said "Mother, we are not afraid for you are near and no harm can come to us ". The morning came and there was a hill ahead. The children climbed and drew weary and the mother was weary. But she kept saying to her children "A little patience and we are there'. So the children climbed and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, the mother gave them the strength to face the world. Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, hope and most of all, unconditional love. And when they reached the top, they said "Mother we could not have done it without you>" The days went on and the weeks and the months and the years. And the mother grew old and became small and bent. But her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. And the mother, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars and said "This is a better day than the rest for my children have learned so much and are passing this wisdom on to their children." And when the way became rough for her, the children lifted her up and gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers . One day they came to a hill. And beyond the hill they coud see a shining road and golden gates opened wide. And the mother said " I have come to the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning for my children can walk with pride and dignity and their heads held high and so can their children after them." And the children said "You will always walk with us Mother even when you have passed thru the gates." And they stood and watched as she passed through the gates alone. And when the gates closed they said "We can't see her but she is still with us. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence." Your mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She's the smell of foods you remember, flowers you pidk,the perfume she wore.She's the cool hand on your brow when you're ill, your breath in the air on a cold crisp morning, the sound of rain that lulls you to sleep. She is Christmas morning. Your mother lives in your laughter and she's in every tear. She's in every emotion, happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, fear, love hate, anger helplessness, excitement, joy and sorrow and all the while she keeps hoping you will only know the good things in life. She is the place you came from and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend and even your first enemy. But nothing on earth can seperate you, not time, space or even death. Author Unknown (This is dedicated to my Mom)