Saturday, May 7, 2011

Mother's Hands


Not because of gold or silver
Not because of jeweled bands
Not because they’re soft and perfect
Do I love my mother’s hands
But because these hands once held me
Tenderly close to her breast
And because these hands would point me
To the path she knew was best

Cho. Mother’s hands so gladly labored
Mother’s hands so seldom still
Never seeking her own favor
Giving always her free will
But the thing of greatest beauty
As she tended to each care
Was her source of strength for duty
Mother’s hands were hands of prayer

Mother’s hands would clap to praise me
For a good deed I had done
Mother’s hands were there to save me
When my deeds had hurt someone
And my mother’s hands would teach me
What is right and what is good
Mother’s hands would always reach me
When no other hand e’er could

Mother’s hands so full of power
When her load was hard to bear
Even in life’s darkest hour
Mother’s hands would fold in prayer
Oh, no matter where I travel
Or how great the sights or grand
There is none to make me marvel
Like my mother’s praying hands

Praying hands can reach her children
When they’ve gone so far away
Mother knows that God will reach them
As she folds her hands to pray
Gracious Father, up in Heaven
Bless each mother everywhere
In each country, tribe or nation
Bless the hands, the hands of prayer

Janet~

6 comments:

  1. Thought I'd read one of your 'popular posts' today, and this one caught my eye :) So much wisdom here about motherhood... this is a new favorite. I'll have to share it with my mother ~ Thank you Janet!

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  2. Megan, thank-you! I wrote this firstly for my mom, but my sister and her daughters, my friend and her daughters and myself and my daughters sang it on Mother's day at our church. My friend is an amazing piano player and she wrote a tune to which she played and we sang. It is therefore one of my nearest and dearest poems in more than one way...when the music team at church asked if I could write something for Mother's Day I was really quite nervous until I closed my eyes and concentrated on my mom!

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  3. Janet, thank you for such inspiration in the mother I'd love to be! I see your posts on lilac & lavendar blog. Thank you for this poem that makes this mom think about what she needs more of in order to be that mom! Prayer!

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  4. HT, Thank-you for your comment! this mother needs to be reminded too, that instead of fretting and worrying I should be praying!
    God bless~

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  5. Thank you for sharing this.It is a beautiful poem. What a wonderful example you've drawn from. How blessed you are. Thank you for blessing the rest of us by sharing it. I will be sharing this with my mom friends. We all need this reminder. Thank you!

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  6. wenona, thank-you so much! yes, i have been blessed, and thank-you for re-sharing it to encourage other women! May we all strive to be 'hands of prayer'.

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I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!