Today is a special Five Minute Friday, coming on the heels of an excellent series on Lisa-Jo's blog about mamas and the memories we carry with us now of the things they did way back then.
Lisa-Jo asks, "What did your mama do that makes her your mama? Let's unpack those memories today. Let's trace our fingers along the lines of the unexpected. The ordinary beauty in a day of motherhood. The food or the laughing or the dancing or the story telling.
In just five minutes. Tell me about what your mama did that made her yours..."
Here is where my memory took me today, for my own five minutes about my own sweet mama...
What mama did...
For me as a young child, nighttime was often filled with the
startlingly real terrors of my imagination. Fear gripped me, driving me out of bed to find my Mom and
say the words I am sure she didn’t love to hear at the end of a long day,
“Mom, would you come and rub my back?”
She would already have put me to bed, brought me a glass of
water, tucked me in tight.
But sometimes it took more than those simple acts to keep
out the darkness.
On those nights it was pure comfort to lay there on my
belly, snuggled down under the covers, Mom sitting next to me on the bed, the
weight of her pulling the covers tight over my body. Slowly her hands would trace circles over my back, smoothing
out the tension, smoothing in her love, the peace and safety of her presence.
Quietly she would sing…
“Michael, row your boat ashore…Alleluia,
Michael, row your boat ashore, Alleluia…”
With my Mom’s quiet voice washing over me, my fear seeped
slowly away. I knew, in that deep
knowing place of a child, that her voice and her body were the strongest walls
of the most fortified castle.
Encircled there by her love and care, I could find my way to sleep, a
weary traveler making her way home at the end of a long journey.
********************************
Thank you, Mom, for soothing my fears, for driving away the terrors of the night with your love and the strength of your presence. I love you.
So very beautiful. And told so well and authentic. "Soothe" that is a good word to describe Mama's in the night. The power of touch and an Alleluia sang softly, is indeed "the strongest wall".
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Leah
Amy... what a beautiful peek into such a beautiful time with your mother. What strength and love and patience... often a mother's presence alone is enough to drive out fear. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet reminder that the little things we do matter. And that just being there for our kids make a difference. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful words, Amy! I love how you said, "I knew, in that deep knowing place of a child, that her voice and her body were the strongest walls of the most fortified castle." That is such a true testament to a loving mama. The little things we do as mama's, really do matter so much! Thanks for this reminder :)
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want to be more patient with the little boy down the hall who came out of his room eight times tonight after being tucked in three times prior. Thank you for sharing it. The last paragraph is my favorite...especially the part about the weary traveler making her way home. Beautiful.
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