by Trish Breeds on Monday, 19 September 2011 at 17:07

For over forty-one years
I had a son with me.
First one, then two, then one,
Two briefly and back to one.
A total of three.

They, all three, have never ceased to;
Amaze me, puzzle me, surprise me;
Love me.
They’ve scared me, challenged me,
Pushed me to a level I didn’t think I had the strength to go.

Through the eyes of my sons,
I have learned about every snail in the garden;
That under any rock one might find a salamander,
I’ve seen Lizards and gecko’s found from our backyard and around the world
Beaches are places where we find, crabs, starfish, and little fishes in the pools.

I’ve been a nurse to countless abandoned and injured birds,
Walked the forest to find, the smallest fragment of a robin shell under a tree,
Long-lost feathers from every type of mysterious bird, and
Every acorn, seed pod and piece of drift wood is a treasure.
They’d find the tiniest flowers that I may have over-looked.
Had the careful, watchful eye of a boy, not been beside me.

My sons have had every pet imaginable, from
Stick bugs, to hermit crabs to hedgehogs to Snakes
Goldfish, tropical fish, chickens, ducks and doves.
Hamsters that we mourned when we thought gone, but only hibernating
And once even a grasshopper that came back from CA on the plane.
A handful cats and a couple of dogs that lived long past the boyhood years.

I’ve cheered them on at baseball games,
Served my volunteer time at the concession stand,
Watched football games in the cold;
Soccer in the rain and basketball in the hot gym.
All for enjoyment,
Only to realize to some parents this is a very serious competitive thing.

There have been times of mischief and trouble,
Mistakes forgotten and forgiven.
I’ve seen their hearts broken by girls from the age of 5 to 33;
It never gets any easier boy to man.
Losses from wars, life changing accidents and fate…
Some of those memories still weigh heavy on my heart,
I survived it all, and came out a stronger, maybe a little wiser too.

Some days I wish I could go back;
And be more patient, more understanding, more loving,
Take more time to listen and not be in such a hurry.
That we could play more, talk more.
Some days, I long to just sit and cuddle
With a little boy who thinks I’m his whole world.

Sadly, I can’t have that time back,
I do know that they all love me.
Sometimes they have to put up with me.
Like when I want to be a matchmaker or I fret or worry.
I am the mother of three sons; I am very blessed.

Trish 2011©️