I Wish I'd Known
My Mother When...
Brenda Leigh

I wish I'd known my mother when she was just a girl.
I'm sure my father thought her the sweetest in the world.
I know he asked her father before they set the date.
Then Mother wore her diamond to show that she would wait.

Mother's trousseau had to be a handmade work of art.
There must have been a dozen new suits and gowns to start.
Linens, cross-stitch, appliqués, fine quilts of blue and gold,
Most of all, her wedding gown was lovely to behold.

I wish I had been present at Hillside church that day
To hear them sing "O Promise Me," and brush their tears away,
To kiss the happy couple when it was time to go.
I wish I had been present with lots of rice to throw.

Their honeymoon was special.  They caught the westbound train.
I could have waved good-bye then, and kissed them once again.
I would have asked the porter to give them tender care;
I'm sure he guessed their secret (The rice was in their hair.)

I know they bought a cottage just large enough for two.
My mother dusted it with love, baked sugar cookies too.
I wish I'd been her neighbor who came for snacks and teas,
Who talked across the back fence exchanging recipes.

I recall when I was small she taught me prayerfully.
Sometimes I think my mother was a little bit like me.
Of all the people in the world, much more than any other,
I wish I might have known her, before she was my mother.

Happy Mother's Day!!

This page was created
In memory of my mother
July 29, 1913 - December 27, 1987

by Linda Manthay

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