My mother is my hero.
Strong, beautiful, kind, patient, intelligent. A spiritual giant.
Our relationship has always been good – better than most, I think.
It just never occurred to me that that might not be the norm, so I just carried it on to the next generation.
(Luckily, Celine was okay with that.)
I was browsing through my childhood scrapbook, and rediscovered the poems my mother has written and sent me over the years.
After she was diagnosed with heart failure in 1999, she started writing poetry.
Some of those poems were for me.
She has written two for my birthday – one in 1999, and another one in 2010.
She has allowed me to share them here.
For Joanna
Dearest heart
My first-born in the wilderness
Yes- the wilderness of my confusion
And utterly unknowing youth
(All too knowing of some things)
Oh how grateful is this heart of mine
That you did come to me
Daring to bear with me
Willing to share with me
Your perfect knowledge
Of a perfect Love
Coming as you did
From a far-off heaven’s home
That much I knew
In those months of waiting
Apprehensively
And then that special day
In far-off climes
You came to be
A very special entity
And un-returnable gift to me
From Father
That I might learn to love more perfectly
How blessed is my life
Because of thee
My dearest Heart…
For Joanna
You, my very first-born
In the desert of my disarray
Came to me with a perfect knowledge
Of divine and perfect love
Providing an oasis of living waters
Forbidden to speak lest you say too much
Delivered as you were from spheres above
The veil was still too thin too delicate as yet
Not drawn across your mind
Your entrance on my stage gave me
A bright conviction of your pre-existence
In the wings before your glowing presence
As my enchanting babe-in-arms
You did not come with selfishness
As some suppose in ignorance
Rather as a guide to self-less-ness
Leading and directing Light-ward:
There was so much for us to learn.
You came from God’s perfection
Born into my imperfect world
And over the years we have learned
And grown together in some certainties:
You still hold the key to the knowledge
Which was yours at birth.
You know.
Is there any wonder I adore this woman? She has always seen divinity in me, and if she could see it, who was I to doubt?
Thank you, Mummy, for being the very , very best example of motherhood anyone could ever wish for.
xxx
