Sunday, May 9, 2010

Love You Forever

I was contemplating what to write about for Mother's Day when Robert Munsch's story "Love You Forever" popped into my head. It's a story about a mom who sings a special song to her sleeping child throughout his life. She sings:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.

Even though the time where she climbs into his window when he's an adult to sing to him strikes me as a little creepy, I must admit that I can rarely get through reading the story without getting a bit choked up. The part that always gets me is when he sings back to his mom when she is too old and sick to sing to him:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My Mommy you'll be.

That book, Love you Forever, reminds us how as parents, and as children, we are tied together in such an amazing and eternal bond. Your child will be your child no matter how old she or he gets, and you will be their Mom, even when you are gone. Cherish each other.

Sure, there are times in life when that bond is tested. There are times when as children, and even as parents, we may love each other but not necessarily like some things the other half has done or said. We need to appreciate that being a Mom can be one of the easiest but also one of the most difficult things to do in the world.

The easy part is how much love as a Mom you can feel for your child. You just have to look at them (sometimes on a rough day, it's best when they're sleeping) and that warmth swells up inside of you.

And it is the most difficult thing when, as their parent, you have to let your child make their own way in life, see them hurt by others or even by themselves.

No, I'm not perfect and not likely up for "Mother of the Year," but Jack and Caitlyn know I'll love them forever. And, I have a homemade Mother's Day card and a video slide show to prove that they love me too. And that's enough.

4 comments:

  1. Well said Jenny. I love you forever is one of my favourite books and I too cannot read it without choking up - I was doing that reading your post!
    Happy Mom's day to you.

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  2. Beautiful Jenny... Loved that book but have not read it in quite a while as my kids are all grown up. Happy Mother's Day to you too, my dear friend.

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  3. You may recall that Jania used the last stanza in her eulogy at her mom's funeral:

    I'll love you forever,
    I'll like you for always,
    As long as I'm living,
    My Mommy you'll be.

    It brought tears to us all. Thanks for the reminder.

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  4. hey jenny

    Love you for always ,love you forever,you are a great mom Jenny,I know because I'm the other Mom.Mom H. and we have the best grandchildren ever.
    Ask Caitlyn if she will sing the songs to jack tonight that grama H. always sings to them when they stayed here with Papa and grama/

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