I wish I had some roses, to put into your hair,
They'd be the prettiest roses,
To no others they'd compare . . .

A lot of life has been lived since I came up with those
first few lines of the first poem I ever wrote.
Of course, they were written for the woman I thought to be then,
and still now, the most beautiful, my mom.

She is, after all, the woman who taught me that beauty is on the inside,
and that's where she is loveliest.

As an example of the beauty she has taught me:
as difficult as it is for me to remember those few lines of my
first poem, there is another poem I didn't have the opportunity to pen.
But, it has stuck with me thru all of my life.

There was a small plaque in our kitchen, hanging near the sink.
I guess I spent a lot of time there because washing after washing,
I was able to stand there, thinking of whatever thoughts
persue a person's mind while at that chore,
and the ease with which those words melted into my soul matched
the way my mom taught me to find a blessing in even the hardest,
or most boring, of tasks.

"Thank God for dirty dishes, They have a tale to tell. While others may go hungry, We're eating very well. With home and health and happiness, I shouldn't want to fuss. Cause by the stack of evidence, God's been good to us."

Yes, to find beauty in anything, even people.
To find the roses among the thorns, smiles within frowns.
She was the rudder to my ship, teaching me nuggets of
wisdom which I still treasure today, and apply in my life.
As my ship has gone many unnavigated directions, learning as I go,
I am reminded of another very short saying she also sent each of
us away from the nest with. Her heart was, and is, always with us,
in whatever seas we are in, or headed towards.

"Where ever you wander, Where ever you roam, Be happy and healthy, And glad to come home."

Her love, what we leave when we go to build nests of our own;
what we bask in when we think of "home & hearth";
and what we return to each time we get to visit her smiling face.

The thankfulness and appreciation will never be enough to let
her know how much her teaching and guidance in life's lessons
have always put our feet back on solid ground,
to return to what we want most in life,
and is always there, her love.

Truly, "I wish I had some roses . . ."

From Bonnie: the youngest Daughter