Mothers..

When the good L-rd was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of overtime when the angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddlings around on this one."

The L-rd said, "Have you read the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 180 movable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers, have a lap that disappears when she stands up, a kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands? No way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the L-rd. " It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The L-rd nodded. "One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't-but what she has to know. And, of course, the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, 'I understand and I love you,' without so much as uttering a word."

"L-rd," said the angel, touching His sleeve gently, "come to bed. Tomorrow-"

"I can't," said the L-rd. "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly and sighed. "It's too soft."

"But tough!" said the L-rd excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure."

"Can it think?"

"Not only think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

"There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the L-rd. "It's a tear."

"What's it for?"

"It's for joy, sadness disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."

"You are a genius," said the angel.

-Erma Bombeck, 1974


Thank you L-rd for creating mothers! We have worth! We are valuable! Our job is precious in the sight of our L-rd and King!