Mother would have been satisfied,
Had her life and family been perfect.
Alas! This is mortality…and we, mere mortals.
Yet, even though her goading belittled
And often wounded her loved ones,
Are not the qualities I love most within myself
The result of her berating?
True, I still cannot keep a clean house
But I can keep a promise.
I may have dirty countertops
But my tongue is clean enough.
And my curtains may not hang so straight,
But my heart is honest and true.
These lessons I learned well at my mother's knee
As well as kindness, love and courtesy.
And, after all, my house I leave behind
While these others I carry into eternity.… Read the rest