To all the children, young and old…this is for you, love Mom

With your birth my world turned upside down,

and with each breath you took, my heart skipped around.

For years I held you when you cried and kissed you when you slept,

yet you’ll never know how many days that I wept.

In happiness, in sadness, and in fear,

the tears that fell for you my dear.

For I prayed that you would live a life of gladness,

never filled with a day of sadness.

But I knew that life would one day cause you to fall

and that I couldn’t protect you from it all.

So I made a vow to teach you how to stand tall,

and I watched from a distance at times when I wanted to call.

With each passing year your love and kindness continued to shine

and I smiled as I knew that you would survive the test of time.

Even when the distance between us is great,

you’ll still feel my presence in all your weight.

My laughter will fill your ear,

and my love will always be clear.

So remember this my dear,

my love is never ending because my heart will always be near.