A Mother's Touch

Memories are a treasured secret;
sometimes we bury these memories in the
back of our minds and one day something
will remind us to look back and appreciate
all that our mother has done for us.
by jaelpn Jan 22, '11
"A mother is she who can take the place of all
others but
whose place no one else can take."
-- Cardinal Mermillod
There is a place in everyone's heart that will
always remember "Mom"...the touch of a gentle
hand that is placed on our foreheads when we
are running a fever, a kleenex swiped across our
tiny noses when we have a cold, a hand that
reaches out to us when we cross the street.
Memories are a treasured secret; sometimes we
bury these memories in the back of our minds
and one day something will remind us to look
back and appreciate all that our mother has
done for us.
As a nurse- I have witnessed many of my
alzheimer residents searching for "mom"...
forgetting that their mother has passed away
years ago. There is something in all of us, that
no matter how far our mothers may be; no
matter how old we may become- we still need
our mother's touch. I have often sat next to a
scared resident and allowed them to talk about
their fears until they have drifted off to sleep.
I've kissed a forehead, I have walked hand in
hand down the hallway to show them their room
when they have lost their way. In a way, I have
become the mother of a child. I have wiped
runny noses, I have put on many socks and tied
shoes. I have done something as simple as put
on a band-aid and I see the gleam of someone's
eyes as if to remember when mom use to cure
all boo-boo's. As I am passing my medications,
taking doctor's orders, assessing someone who
has fallen on the floor- I have heard people pass
by and say "Thank goodness I don't have that
job..." I would be lying if I told you that nursing
was an easy job. Even when I leave work and
come home- I am still a nurse. There is not a day
that goes by, that something doesn't remind me
of caregiving.
A mother's heart is golden. She gives birth to us,
she feeds us, bathes us, teaches us, disciplines
us, and most of all- loves us. I know that my
mom had her hands full with five children. She
made sure we had our homework done, took us
to the library to allow us to explore the world of
reading and to gain knowledge, made sure we
had a nice warm house with plenty of food. I
couldn't have asked for better parents than my
mom and dad. We were never spoiled; we did
chores every day, we worked hard for our
allowance. We had movie nights, we caught
fireflies outside on a summers night. When I look
back on my childhood, I remember making a
kite with my mom and going out in the field
when the wind was strong and watching the
kite go way up in the sky. It kind of reminds me
of how it is when a mother lets a child go; which
ever way the wind blows, mom has to allow her
children to take off in life. She still has the kite
string to pull us back if the wind current gets
too strong, and yet we are free to fly as high as
we can in life. Someday, when my mom is much
older and needs me, I want to be there for her
as much as she was there for me. One day,
when I have children of my own, I hope that my
hands are gentle and as caring as my own
mother's touch.
"Please take care of my mother. Although she
may not remember me, she still is the most
important woman in my life." This is what one of
my residents daughters told me. Although I may
only seem like the one that gives out the
medications and makes sure she is safe, the
resident's family believes that my hands may be
the second most important thing beyond a
mother's touch. Those are pretty big shoes to
fill, but I'd like to think that maybe I can make a
little bit of a difference.