Hello TODers,
I just had to share this BEAUTIFUL poem by our very own HZ that is tucked in one of the last comments on my post from yesterday. Get out the Kleenex tissues first. Reflect. Enjoy
*****************************************************************************
Our Phenomenal Mothers
by HZ
~~~
I find quiet time when my soul is fighting off the floods of discouragement.
I then try to quiet my space with music, a seat in the library and music room.
I look up at one of the precious photos of my mother sitting at my piano when she came out to visit me long before she left me here on this earth.
~~~
Then I smile and try to remember what songs hymns she was playing that particular time. I feel some peace coming over my body when I think of those songs.
I then look over at a very special photo of my loving brother and see him as he is in his career and remembering how our mother and father worked so hard to make sure that we had the opportunities to grace the halls of some great educational settings. But then I cry a little because I remember how she worked so hard to make that happen for us.
~~~
I remember seeing her precious feet so swollen after standing in a family’s kitchen, bathroom, sunroom, pool house, washing, and cleaning and then preparing all of their meals and all of their holiday dinners and parties. And feel the salty tears slowly running down my cheeks as I say, “Thank you God for this beautiful and precious lady, our mother who did all of this for us.
~~~
Then I look around and see the many blessings that I have received because she wore those uniforms to conform to the rules of that family’s rules while she knew one day she would not have to do it any longer; but she would not take a penny more or less for that journey to make sure she paved the road so her baby son and daughters could walk down many less rugged roads in the future.
~~~
Then I feel my space getting peaceful and more lovely because of the fountain of memories of this phenominal woman who gave so much to her children so that they may dream big dreams; work hard in school; read a lot and learn about how other mothers were trying to do the same for their precious children.
~~~
Then my quiet space becomes sweeter and sweeter because of where I chose to sit, be quiet, listen to the whispers of God reminding me of how some of those days were born so that I could sit and give thanks as I journey at the tender age of almost seventy with pride, joy, and thanksgiving.
~~~
My tears are streaming with such speed that I do not want them to stop because they remind me of what a precious, beautiful, peaceful, hardworking, and loving mother and father I had in my life.
~~~
So these distractions moving around our great President and First Lady remind me daily of how President Obama must have his quiet time and allow the tears to flow while he remembers how hard his precious mother worked to raise, and exposed all of her goodness to Maya and PBO.
~~~
What loving and Phenomenal Mothers we all had and maybe some still do in our space; well
give them a hug, if they are still with you;
give them a call;
give them a hand written note on some lovely stationery
give them a lovely walk downtown and have a nice quiet lunch;
give them a lovely journey with some of the most lovely and fun notes about how they spent time with you;
~~~
And most of all, just give them a moment where you tell them how much you appreciate their worn out shoes to walk places where others did not dare walk for you. Just take the time, if it is possible to reach out and do one of these or one of your own choosing.
~~~
I wish I had all of the thoughts my precious mother, especially, thought as she walked to that job for all those years just to take care of her dear children. ‘Our Phenomenal Mothers.’
~~~
****
I went on line and found a lovely place where one can personally create a lovely garden flag with your personal touch on it in remembrance of your mother. I did one for our mother. Her favorite colors, and it will be placed in the lovely and special rose that I found and purchased today. I am so elated to have it arrive before my brother makes his next trip out here; if he can get away from his very, very important position, it will be a lovely moment for both of us. What a time we will have to share.
I know PBO does these types of loving acts of love with his sister since their mother is no longer with him. What moments those have to be for them.
Let us keep each other in our beautiful places of goodness as we go into another week. We were blessed with a wonderful week with our President, First Lady, and VPOTUS and SLOTUS. Thank you Chips and TOD Family. This place is such a sweet and respectful haven of knowledge, and great support for PBO.
HZ
He’s black and black is beautiful indeed! And to his phenomenal mother who read Dr. Maya ANGELou, and understood the meaning of her words…and named her daughter Maya….well what does that tell you about the power of the universe!!
Congrats on 1st, Dudette!
Thank you zizi for posting HZ’s gorgeous, touching poem!!!
Thanks Bob! 🙂
Thank you Zizi and thank you Bobfr. I am so grateful to just be here with all of you brilliant and gracious people who give me so much joy for your acceptance. HZ
Simply beautiful poem HZ!
Thank you for posting this zizi!
BEAUTIFUL HZ….AM READING THE BOOK……A SINGULAR WOMAN’….ABOUT PBO’S MOTHER….WOOT-WOOT!
{{{{{{{Thank you, SUE.}}}}}}}} A beautiful read for sure, ‘A Singular Woman.’ Could not put it down when I was reading it.HZ
{{{{{{ Thank you, Dudette.}}}}}}} HZ
Moving, powerful, sad and joyful, eloquent meditation on a Mother’s courageous steadfast love. Thankful for you HK. Your Mother must have cherished you and your brother. You gave and give profound meaning and grace to her life bravely lived. So kind and wise of Zizi to bring this creation into the spotlight for all to share and admire.
What a lovely reply to HZ Nancie, just sweet.
Yes, it is indeed Chips. {{{{{{{{{Thank you, Chips and Nancie.}}}}}}}}}}HZ
In the first picture, if you look in her eyes it’s like looking into Barack’s eyes.
Don, what a beautiful observation. HZ
Thanks for the wonderful commentary, HZ.
Nerdy, thanks again for the wonderful R&S, I had to run after you posted it and only caught up with all your blissful news and links – thank you again, Legend.
Thanks, Chiparoo and thanks for the tweeting.
Fantastic R&S, NW. Thank you!!!
Thanks, Bob.
{{{{{{{{Nerdy, my thanks go to you who gives me so much hope in all that you share daily here at TOD. }}}}}}}}}}}HZ
HZ, this is just so, so lovely, thank you, you have a golden heart! And thank you Zizi for creating the post.
All thanks and praise go to HZ. It was the last comment and i knew most had not seen it. It deserves wide dissemination. So voila
Huuuuuugely appreciated Zizi, it’s a pure gem which I probably would have missed only for you – thank you sooooo much!
Chips, my beautiful and sweet spirit, I thank you my beautiful soul. Your space is so elegant and my humble words are no where near the brilliant writers such as you and all of the wonderful writers her. I am just a grateful soul who is lifted up and inspired by the brilliant minds here. Zizi, {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Nothing but loving hugs for your graciousness.}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Thank you!!!!HZ
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/press-briefing-principal-deputy-press-secretary-josh-earnest-8
Arne Duncan is there at the WH Presser with Josh Earnest
6-09-14
Congrats Dudette on your GOLD!
Thanks Nena! 🙂
It’s a Manic MonTODay 😉
Hello TODers. Cloudy, rainy and oh well, the weather story of my MN.
BBL.
Way too behind today.
Good morning Chips and TOD. I am getting a late start this morning. 🙂
Just coming here with this, and seems like I found the exact right post for it! Off to read HZ’s words!
Thank you, Jacqueline O. Love you for all that you do.HZ
There you are! What a darling tribute to your Mother, HZ. Can’t thank you enough. (Another beautiful thing happened – I tweeted the post, and my son, who doesn’t usually R/T anything of mine – Ha! – retweeted it. So make that two generations in my family to appreciate your sweet tribute!)
Oh, Jacqueline O’, the tears are flowing. How precious is this sweet and beautiful action by your loving son. There is something so special about this TOD family. Only a power higher within our space brings so many people with so much in common. And it started with the voice of one beautiful soul, Senator Barack Obama, now our Great President of the United States.
Thanks for sharing this with me Jacqueline. I always give thanks when I rise above the green grass. Then I realize how much of a blessing I am suppose to try and be to someone and how much of a blessing someone will be to me. Today, another day kissed by the angels within our core as beautiful TODers. HZ.
You put a smile on my face tonight, HZ, as you often do. Sweet dreams when you get there, my O’friend!
Love you HZ!! This is AWESOME!!
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ My beautiful Tally, thank you.}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} I still plan to have that wonderful and special date with you, jojo, GGail, and our west coast family members. Before our POTUS leaves the WH, I hope. HZ
YES!!!!! We MUST!!!
“Appeal by the acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Colonel General M. Koval to members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, June 9, 2014
“I sincerely congratulate the members of the Armed Forces with the election of the new President of Ukraine by the people of Ukraine — the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko.
The new President of Ukraine has announced a direction for resolving all issues in Eastern Ukraine peacefully and for shifting the state of affairs from armed conflict to that of negotiation.
Today the situation in the Donbas has not followed the scenario developed abroad. All those who dreamed of a civil war need to forget about it now. Every citizen of Ukraine has realized that weapons will be used only against those who have taken the path of terror, who have the blood of innocent people on their hands, and who have undermined peace and tranquility in our country. However, the peace that we will seek to achieve in the near future will not last if we do not properly strengthen our security and do not increase the combat capability of our national armed forces.
In this regard, the state leadership has been given the task to establish clear communication among law enforcement agencies and to focus on strengthening the state border, to reequip the Armed Forces of Ukraine with modern weapons and military equipment, and to greatly enhance the status of Ukrainian military in society. In this situation, the members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine must maintain restraint and high combat readiness. Each member of the military must realize that the security of our country depends on the quality of training of each one of us and on the level of awareness of our responsibility for the integrity of our country.
I believe that patriotism, professionalism, and loyalty to the Constitutional responsibilities of the military in the Armed Forces will be appreciated by the Ukrainian people, who have irreversibly chosen the path of building a free and democratic state.”
Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhaylo V. Koval”
Posted on the official website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Translation: Anna Mostovych
Source: http://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2014/06/09/zvernennya-v-o-ministra-oboroni-ukraini-general-polkovnika-kovalya/
Awesome, hz, and thank you zizi for creating the post.
Morning Obots!
Moooooooooorning LL!
Morning, Mevrouw Van Gaal!
I had to Google ‘Mevrouw’, I feared you were being rude 🙂
LL, did you see poor old Rik Mayall has died?
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27770266
Yes, I did. The missus read it to me as we were having breakfast this morning. He was only 56.
Ridiculously young. Only catching up now, if it wasn’t for Nerdy I wouldn’t even know what day it is 😳
LL, you are the great writer along with all of the brilliant ones, and you give my space much joy reading your brilliant writing. Thank you so much, LL. HZ
Zizi, thank you for sharing HZ’s beautiful poem with us.
HZ, You’re such a beautiful person. I’m so grateful for TOD, because i’ve been introduced to such intelligent, caring, & funny people from all cultures and nations.
{{{{{{{{{{ Thank you sjterrid}}}}}}}}}} Yes, Zizi is the great soul to appreciate with a Big Heart. Chips and Zizi surely have my loving appreciation for doing this.HZ
HZ, your words are always so inspirational
Thank you, zizi2, for re-posting this.
Oh, HZ, you have totally overwhelmed us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your mother’s story. No wonder you are such a jewel, with a mother like that!
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ My arms are so grateful to give you a thank you in each hug.}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}HZ
Felt that! 🙂
Josh Earnest is hitting it out of the park addressing the RW talking points of the press today. I recommend you watch the video when it becomes available. BRAVO, Josh!!
Watching the press briefing while I have some time and OMG…how Jay Carney and Josh Earnest don’t punch the crap out of the WHPC every two minutes, I will never understand.
Jeeeezus! They have got to be the dumbest set of people working in any sector.
NYT and many other outlets reported that President Obama’s second student loan reform proposal will help an additional 5 million people. What does Jim Avila say? Isn’t it irresponsible for the POTUS not to tell the American people how many millions will be affected by this new student loan reform proposal? Josh Earnest answers with the 5M response and Avila repeats a variation of his stupid question.
Are you fucking kidding me?!?!?!
Then he asks Josh that since the GOP says it can’t trust President Obama on Immigration Reform, why doesn’t President Obama just pick up the phone and reassure John Boehner which will then reassure the American people that he is indeed trustworthy.
I repeat: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!
President Obama has been the one person pushing the Senate and House to do something proactive about Immigration Reform. Finally, the Senate moved forward. Republicans in the House are blocking legislation and that somehow becomes President Obama’s fault? Is Boehner not an elected official? Is he not adult enough to move the legislation forward for a simple vote?
If this is what the public is being subjected to on a larger scale, no wonder we have even educated people falling for the BS.
NW, it’s like this and WORSE every single day. It’s an abomination. I used to watch faithfully but now, I only check in on occasion because it’s pure crap like the rest of MSM. Jay and Josh do a phenomenal job.
Beautiful meditation on gratefulness, HZ. Thank you for your lovely thoughts and for expressing them with us. Lots of love to you and your family. And thanks to ZiZi for capturing it here.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ TY, meta.}}}}}}}}}}}}}HZ
Zizi, thank you for front paging HZ’s beautiful poem; I was away at a Women Veterans Symposium this weekend so I missed everything posted in the village.
HZ, your eloquent words capture what most of us feel about our Moms. I’m going to print and frame your lovely piece as a gift to my Mom. Thank you for providing one of my Mom’s many birthday gifts.
Alycee, thank you. May your time with your preparing a space in gifting your dear Mom, it one to be so moved by your actions. HZ
I’ve made a complete muck of post-timings, this new ‘heads up’ is way too soon after HZ’s, huuuuuuuge apologies to her and Zizi 😳
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/06/09/president-on-reducing-the-burden-of-student-loan-debt/
My beautiful beloved, you never need to apologize my beautiful angel. We are all still moving into his space, which makes us all in tune with the greatness of his presidency to know when to sit and listen with a gracious spirit and a gracious heart to just being his presence.HZ
Basically, we all have to take this stand. Bateman is no anti-gun wuss, but he has had enough.
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/i-am-coming-home
GEEZE, Chuck Todd, purchase a clue!
{{{{{ ❤ HZ & Mother ❤ }}}}}
{{{{{{{ My love to you as well MightyPamela, and thank you}}}}}}}HZ
New USA today poll came out and yup the stupid Americans are against the berghdahl deal. Especially veterans overwhelmingly 66-16% !
See ? This is what the media is capable of when every segment is wanting berghdahls head! 😦
My goodness, my goodness!!. Chips, thanks for your sweet soul. And the most humble thank you to Zizi for getting your blessings to Post my words that are so humbly spoken from my heart.
Zizi, your beautiful soul is so kind. The respect from our loving Chips to post my words,which in no way can even come close to the Most Brilliant Writers in this beautiful family, the Best. Oh,you all are so gracious and kind in your sharing.
I am not a writer in any form of the writer’s pen; but I love this place and the context in which Chips presents everything with such elegant class and precision. Then this little pre-seventy year old/young at heart senior get to be here in the company of the likes of Chips, Zizi, LL, Amk, Bobfr, Tally, CarolMae, J O’, Donna Dem, Nerdy W., Jackie, Judith, Vc, MightyPamela, Carolyn, sherijr, meta, Bill R., Don, Nath, Yardarm, Jovie, SUE, oh, just All of our great contributors here in this beautiful TOD family.I need to not try to name names, because I know I forget someone everytime I do this. I apologize from the depths of my heart.
It is unselfish beautiful leaders like Chips and all within my dearest TOD family who keep me moving with a sweet purpose in my political life and my day to day moving through this time in our history. I feel so proud just to be here with each of the TODers.
Zizi, oh, your wonderful photos of our President and his family just spoke what I was trying to say. At any time please edit my grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, Zizi. You all are such brilliant writers. I am just crying with a grateful heart that Chips agreed to Zizi’s posting this. My heart is lifted with so much thanks to each of my TOD family members who have shared such moving and beautiful comments.
{{{{{{{{{{{{ This is such a sweet moment in my space today.}}}}}}}}}}}}}} This week here at TOD posting by Chips and all of her brilliant contributors gave me so much that I just found myself sharing my heart yesterday after being so moved by the brilliant writing of Zizi.
I am so honored to be a part of this most generous, loving, brilliant minds, and compassionate hearts who are supporting the best president ever.
Thank you, Chips, and thank you so much Zizi. You two are beautiful angels of the Best surrounding our space. I love you all so much.
If I should take my last breath on this day, I will be a happy soul to know that I have had the blessing each day to be here with the most elegant, bright minds, brilliants minds in this world. The world within this TOD family from all countries within the continents all over the globe; surely gives people like me a deep hope that what we are laying out for our children, grandchildrens, and friends will last for the good for generations because one brilliant man touched our hearts at that 2004 conventions, and helped us to make beautiful friendships with our brothers and sisters all over the globe for generations to come. Thank you, my Chips and Zizi.HZ