In 1870 Julia Ward Howe penned the Mother's Day proclamation. Howe had earlier authored the famous Battle Hymn of the Republic. Howe wrote the Mother's Day proclamation calling for the women of the world to unite for peace.
The following piece was written in 1976 in honor of moms everywhere. These lyrics fit the typical mom. It probably describes your mom. Happy Mother's Day to all. We owe you more than we can ever repay.
I.O.U.
(Dean / Markes)
Many people look through their wallet or their pocket books and, way down at the bottom, past the
credit cards and baby pictures and so on, you usually find a little 'ol piece of dog-eared poetry.
I was cleaning out my wallet the other day and ran across a whole bunch of I.O.U's, some of 'em
thirty-five years overdue. And you know the funny thing, all these I.O.U's are owed to one person
and I kinda felt like that maybe now would be a pretty good time for an accountin'.
Mom, I sure hope you're listenin'.
Sweet lady, I.O.U. for so many things.....
A lot of services, like nightwatchman for instance.....
Lyin' awake nights, listenin' for coughs and cries and creakin'
floorboards.....hah-hah, and me comin' in too late.
Boy, you had the eye of an eagle and the roar of a lion,
But you always had a heart as big as a house.
I.O.U. for services like, uh, short order cook, chef, baker.....
For makin' sirloin out o' hamburger an' turkey out o' tuna fish,
And big ol' strappin' boys out of leftovers.
I.O.U. for cleanin' services,
The daily scrubbing of face and ears....all work done by hand.
And for the frequent dustin' of a small boy's pants
To try to make sure that you led a spotless life.
And for washin' and ironin' that no laundry could ever do.
Foy dryin' the tears of childhood
And ironin' out the problems of growin' up.
I.O.U. for services as a bodyguard,
For protectin' me from the terrors of thunderstorms and nightmares
Hah, And too many green apples.
And Lord knows, I.O.U. for medical attention,
For nursing me through measles, mumps, bruises,
Bumps, splinters and spring fever.
Oh-oh, let's not forget medical advice....important things like,
"If you keep on scratching that, it'll never get well" or
"If you cross your eyes, they're gonna stick like that".
And probably the most important advice of all,
"Boy, you be sure you got on clean underwear, in case you're in an accident".
And I.O.U. for veterinarian services,
For feeding every lost dog that I dragged home at the end of the rope,
And for healing the pains of puppy love.
And I.O.U. for entertainment.....
Entertainment that kept the household goin' through some pretty rough times.....
And for wonderful productions at Christmas, the Fourth of July, Birthdays.....
And for making make-believe come true.....
And you did it all on such a limited budget.
I.O.U. for construction work, for building kites and confidence, hopes and dreams an'.....
Somehow you made them all touch the sky.....
And for cementin' together a family
So it would stand the worst kind of shocks and blows.....
And for layin' down a good strong foundation to build a life on.
I.O.U. for carrier charges.....
For carryin' me on your books for the necessities of life
That a growin' boy somehow, well, they just gotta have.
Things like, hah-hah, a pair of high top boots,
With a little pocket on the side for a jack-knife.
And one thing, Mom, I'll never forget....
When there were two pieces of pie and three hungry people.....
You were always the one who decided, well, I'm not really that hungry anyhow.
These are just a few of the things for which payment is long overdue..
The person that I owe 'em to worked very, very cheap....
She managed by simply doin' without a whole lot o' things that she needed herself....
My I.O.U's add up to more than I could ever hope to repay,
But you know the nicest thing about it all....
That I know, that she had marked the entire bill 'Paid In Full'
For just one kiss and four little words....Mom, I Love You!
Happy Mother's Day Lydia Cornell. This piece is especially for you!
LYDIA CORNELL: AFI Best Actress Nominee, People's Choice Award winner; Actor, Writer, Director, Producer; woman and children advocate; teen mentor, comedienne, talk show host, inspirational pubic speaker best known for her starring role on ABC's "Too Close for Comfort" as TV legend Ted Knight's daughter 'Sara'; HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, and over 250 shows, episodes and movies worldwide. Turns tragedy into comedy, life-saving issues for women and equal pay for equal work...
Yes, happy mom's day, Lydia, and to all the other mothers out there.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the trolls? I realize this is the loneliest day of your life, seeing as you guys were stirred up from some soup in Saruman's castle...
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteWe should celebrate the ones who donate their offspring to the cause.
Once we have the numbers we can overthrow the Bushitler regime.
Happy Mothers Day !!
ReplyDeleteLove to all the mothers everywhere.
And God Bless the moms who have lost their sons, daughters, soldiers and children in this war.
Carl - great line: "stirred up from some soup in Saruman's castle..."
ReplyDeleteHappy Mothers Day Lydia and to all Moms! ;)
ReplyDeleteNice post Larry! :)
ReplyDeleteThose moms who raise stepchildren as if they were their own also deserve a little extra praise today.
ReplyDeleteMy wife took a 12 year old boy who had been raised entirely by his dad (yes, that by itself made him a little strange, to say the least) and did everything that his own mother never did. She was there at his school events, she bitched at him when he refused to do his homework, she catered to him when he was sick.
I am grateful to her for giving my son an idea of what it is like to have a mother that loves you. To this day, the 20 year old man introduces her to friends and acquaintances as "my mom."
Happy Mother's Day to Lydia, Suzie-Q and all the great moms here.
ReplyDelete{applauds Larry}
And happy mothers day to the moms who are not with us.
ReplyDeleteBTW Lydia, it looks like your boys wrote this. Is that right?
ReplyDeleteI got misty reading that, so I dedicated a thread to mothers day too.
ReplyDeleteMilitary moms stressed and need help
ReplyDeleteFri May 11, 2007 4:32PM EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mothers in the U.S. military are stressed, poorly paid and need more help caring for their children, according to a report issued by Congress on Friday.
Nearly half of all women in the active-duty military have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and 24,475 women are there now, the report by the Joint Economic Committee said.
Yet child care services are not keeping up with longer and more frequent deployments, said the report, released to coincide with Mothers' Day in the United States on Sunday.
Moreover, women get only 6 weeks of leave after the birth of a child, it found.
"Making sure military mothers have the quality child care, generous family leave, and access to mental health services they need is key to their family well-being and our national security," New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney said in a statement.
"Not addressing these issues could have serious implications for the retention of women in the military, and the readiness and effectiveness of our forces."
The Joint Economic Committee, a bipartisan group of senators and members of the House of Representatives, used Defense Department figures for much of the report.
It said that women represent one in seven U.S. military personnel in Iraq, and that most are in the lowest-paid ranks.
Women make up about 14.3 percent of the active-duty military, according to the report, and about 40 percent of women in the active-duty force have children compared with 44 percent of active-duty men.
However, military mothers are much more likely to be single or divorced, or married to other members of the military who also face deployment.
That leaves grandparents, other relatives or paid caregivers to take care of young children when parents are deployed or redeployed.
The report, available on the Internet at http://www.jec.senate.gov, said the military may be stretched to recruit and retain women if it does not provide better services.
"The military has increased the number of available child care centers, but the National Military Families Association estimates that the military is approximately 35,000 short of expected need," it said.
It is doubtful Bush would think about mothers in the military, since he refuses to attend a funeral of a slain soldier.
ReplyDeleteYou know why Bush doesn't go to those funerals Larry?
ReplyDeleteCause he's afraid he'll cut up, and crack jokes.
Or at least his handlers are.
Worf:
ReplyDeleteYou have a point. Bush can't stop showing his smirk long enough to appear sad.
Happy Mother's Day, Lydia!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here Jacq.
ReplyDeleteHope you were able to talk with your Mother today.
By Ellen Goodman
ReplyDeleteBOSTON—It’s become a Mother’s Day tradition on a par with candy, flowers and guilt. While advertisers wax poetically about the priceless work of motherhood, economists tally up the paycheck for the services she performs.
This year, salary.com estimates the value of a full-time mom at $138,095, up 3 percent from last year. The monetary value of a second-shift mom is $85,939, on top of her day job.
But, alas, the check is not in the mail. Nor will Mom find it next to the maple syrup on her bed tray. Motherhood is what the economists call a monopsony, a job for which there is only one employer. And it’s a rare child who’s saved up to fill Mom’s piggybank, let alone a 401(k).
The real story of the Mother’s Day economy is less rosy. This is what to expect when you are expecting—expecting to be a mom and a paid worker at the same time. You can expect to be mommified.
Mothers are still treated as if they were a third gender in the workplace. Among people ages 27 to 33 who have never had children, women’s earnings approach 98 percent of men’s. Many women will hit the glass ceiling, but many more will crash into the maternal wall.
Here’s a Mother’s Day card from a study just published by Shelley Correll in the American Journal of Sociology. Correll performed an experiment to see if there was a motherhood penalty in the job market. She and her colleagues at Cornell University created an ideal job applicant with a successful track record, an uninterrupted work history, a boffo resume, the whole deal.
Then they tucked a little telltale factoid into some of the resumes with a tip-off about mom-ness. It described her as an officer in a parent-teacher association. And—zap—she was mommified.
Moms were seen as less competent and committed. Moms were half as likely to be hired as childless women or men with or without kids. Moms were offered $11,000 less in starting pay than non-moms. And, just for good measure, they were also judged more harshly for tardiness.
“Just the mention of the PTA had that effect,” says Correll. “Imagine the effect of a two-year absence from the work force or part-time work.”
If this is true in the lab, it’s true in real life. Joan C. Williams, who runs the Center for WorkLife Law at Hastings Law School, says discrimination against women may have gone underground but “the discrimination against mothers is breathtakingly open. Mothers are told, ‘You belong at home with the kids, you’re fired.’ ”
In the stories from the center’s hot line and in the growing case law they’ve accumulated on family responsibility discrimination, you hear about women overtly denied promotions for having a child, told to have an abortion to keep a job, or rejected for a new job because “it was incompatible with being a mother.” Family emergencies are treated differently than other timeouts. And things are at least as bad for dads when they take on Mommy’s work of caregiving.
I’m not suggesting that mothers quit the PTA, hide the kids or even sue, although the 400 percent increase in FRD suits has, um, raised some corporate consciousness. But, at the very least, we have to turn the story line around.
No, mothers are not actually a third gender. More than 80 percent of American women have children and 80 percent of those are employed by the time their kids are 12. The reality of the workplace affects us all.
The much-touted mommy wars are as useful in solving our problems as a circular firing squad. And tales of women “opting out” of professional careers squeeze out the tales of women being pushed out.
As for the idea that women’s lives are an endless array of choices? Williams says ruefully, “An awful lot of what gets interpreted as a mother’s choice to drop out is really a ‘take this job and shove it’ reaction by mothers who encounter discrimination.”
How many mothers would choose to spend more time at home if the fear of re-entry weren’t so daunting? How many would choose to stay in the work force except for one sick child, one snow day, one emergency room visit? And how many dads would choose to live up to their own family ideals?
On Mother’s Day 2007, there is still a deep-seated bias that puts the image of a “good mother” at odds with that of an “ideal worker.” Until we wrestle down the beliefs and the rules of the workplace, our annual homage to the family values keeper will be as sentimental as this year’s $138,095 paycheck.
California Paper Asks on Mother's Day: How Many More Young Americans Will Be Killed in Iraq?
ReplyDeleteBy E&P Staff
Published: May 13, 2007 9:20 AM ET
NEW YORK The editorial page of the Stockton (Ca.) Record has a special message for readers today, in print and on the paper's Web site. Along with the photos of 20 local men killed in Iraq, it poses the question: "On this Mother's Day we ask: How many more must pay this price? Who will be next?"
The simple text reads:
"They have served their county. They have personified patriotism. They have given their lives. They are heroes who have left loved ones who cherish prideful memories but mourn the loss of their son, daughter, spouse, father or mother. We salute their dedication but are left to wonder:
"Who will be next? And how many more?"
Two more local died just this past week, likely triggering this opinion page response.
The paper endorsed George W. Bush for president in 2000 and 2004.
In an accompanying message, editor Mike Klocke writes: "I'm sure the approach The Record editorial board took with the adjoining editorial will invoke some strong feelings - in both directions.
"We've now had 20 deaths of service men and women with ties to our area. Their patriotism and service to the county is appreciated and lauded.
"We put the news on the front page every time a San Joaquin County man or woman dies while serving the country. I pray we don't have to do it many more times."
Klocke also explained that the paper's news coverage on the war has also drawn criticism for all sides, for focusing too much or too little on the deaths.
Mothers Day sorrow: by Gerald
ReplyDeleteIn WWII my fathers platoon was wiped out, Nice France,
His mother was notified of his death/
He later notified her by mail he was still alive, I can imagine how their hearts sailed.
I cannot find the words for the Mothers of slain troops all over the world,
maybe he says it best:
Executive Mansion
Washington
Nov. 21, 1864
To Mrs. Bixby
Boston, Mass.
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
A. Lincoln
RIP
Gerald
My Blog:
http://warintel.blogspot.com/
Conservative pundit Bill Kristol on Fox News Sunday this morning criticized the wavering on support for the Iraq war by some Republicans as "extremely stupid."
ReplyDelete"The idea that they will get credit for deserting the war at this point, they voted for the war, they voted to fund the war, now they're going to what? Vote for withdrawal, for surrender," he mocked. "Then they're going to go to voters, Republican congressmen, in 2008 and say, 'Hey, re-elect us!'"
"It's a ridiculous political calculation, as well as dishonorable one," he continued. "The Democrats are behaving terribly, but the Republicans are behaving foolishly."
Bill Kristol: 'Stupid, dishonorable' Republicans wavering on Iraq
This Neocon should be in prison for his involvement in Iraq war planning... (PNAC)
I know I am not supposed to "hate" but the Neocons are so evil...
ReplyDeleteKristol will go down the Iraqi Titanic along with Bush and Cheney.
ReplyDeleteThis trio deserves each other.
If you watch the video in that article, you will see the other people sitting there looking at Kristol like he is a complete idiot for his words!
ReplyDeleteLOL
Kristol is a real arrogant creton. He hooked up years ago with four other ultra-neo's and they are ruthless.
ReplyDeleteHi Larry:
ReplyDeleteYes, Kristol, Pearle, Cheney, Bush and Wolfowitz deserve each other and prison!
Wolfowitz seems determined to not resign his plush job.
ReplyDeleteLarry:
ReplyDeleteI think he will be forced out because the Europeans are demanding it.
Suzie:
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right. Bush is protecting him but maybe he will go.
Bush will probably make him War Czar since he was one of the main creators of this disaster.
The best way to break up these thugs is start at the bottom and go up the food chain. ;)
ReplyDeleteScum always rises to the top and the top of this jar of scum is Bush and Cheney.
ReplyDeleteKristol..... it would be hard to be a bigger idiot. How this dirtbag manages to get anyone to buy his sh*t rag publication is beyond me. The StainedTurd makes the NAtional Enquirer look like well-written journalism.
ReplyDeleteKristol must own part of Fox since he is on there day and night with his "wisdom."
ReplyDeleteLibby was the first brick in that wall.. Wolfowitz, Cheney and Rove should be next..and Gonzo too.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Toesuck works for Kristol and she is another evildoer Neocon..who writes trash about the Left.
ReplyDeleteThe StainedTurd makes the NAtional Enquirer look like well-written journalism.
ReplyDelete---------------
Hi Jolly!
LOL Now, that's the truth!
Ole Vicki and her worthless husband Joe need to be spayed and maybe they would find control over their hate.
ReplyDeleteDid you know Toesuck is also one of the attorney's for Paul Wolfowitz's girlfriend Shaha Riza?
ReplyDeleteSuzie:
ReplyDeleteI didn't know she was her sttorney. That tells alot there.
What a messed up couple of conglomerate bliss.
Yep and Toesuck and her hubby, Joe diGenova, both worked for Reagan in the DOJ. they're now in private practice together and represent white collar criminals. Well,the WH must be keeping them busy! LOL
ReplyDeleteThey probably haven't finished Enron cases much less the Delay's and all the other felons within Bush's web.
ReplyDeleteThey probably haven't finished Enron cases much less the Delay's and all the other felons within Bush's web.
ReplyDeleteGuaranteed employment for criminal defense attorneys.
And these guys are supposed to be AGAINST trial lawyers! Ha!
They were against trial lawyers before they needed them.
ReplyDeleteJoe is older than dirt! LOL
ReplyDeleteHe was involved with Jimmy Hoffa somehow...
Was Hoffa a Dem or GOP? I thought he was Dem?
Hoffa led the Teamsters to support the Repugs.
ReplyDeleteHoffa was tied up with Nixon heavily and his son is a piece of work.
Hoffa led the Teamsters to support the Repugs.
ReplyDeleteHoffa was tied up with Nixon heavily and his son is a piece of work.
You got that right. The Teamsters almost cleaned themselves up. Then little Jimmy came along to get them back to their dishonest ways...
Little Jimmy was re-elected and continues his ways of fence rider.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Hoffa must have been Dem at first and then the Repugs offered him more money?
ReplyDeleteOld man Hoffa took care of his union members, but he did it by corruption with the mob and shady dealings with Nixon.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Hoffa must have been Dem at first and then the Repugs offered him more money?
ReplyDeleteHoffa has never had a philosophy I can divine beyond self-perpetuation.
Hoffa was a success at that. Hoffa Jr. has wrapped himself in his own promotion, and believes he is more valuable than his attributes show.
ReplyDeleteSo, Toesuck and Joe diGenova have been corrupt liars since going back to Nixon's and Reagan's days..and probably before. With Joe being involved with Hoffa too.
ReplyDeleteI do know they have lied and tried to smear Joe and Valerie Wilson.
They were on Geraldo everynight on CNBC during the O J Simpson trial and they have been more right wing than many in Washington.
ReplyDeleteLarry:
ReplyDeleteI think they're just as corrupt as the people they represent. Also, they are liars and the lies they have told about the Wilsons speaks volumes about what kind of people they are.
Suzie:
ReplyDeleteThey act like they have a personal investment in everything suspicious that goes on.
Larry:
ReplyDeleteMaybe they do...maybe they are the suspects! LOL
I'm going to say goodnight now. :)
Goodnight Suzie.
ReplyDeleteP.S.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting...
DiGenova first made his astounding comments about the Wilson affair being a covert operation against the President on the Imus in the Morning Show, carried nationally on radio and MSNBC-TV. I wondered whether these serious charges would be refuted or probed by the media. Imus, a shock jock who has spent several days grieving and joking about the death of his cat, didn’t grasp their significance. But the mainstream press didn’t seem interested, either.
Wilsongate: Did CIA run a covert op against an elected president?
Goodnight now...
Wilsongate: Did CIA run a covert op against an elected president?
ReplyDeleteNo. They most certainly weren't running an operation against an ELECTED President, even if this story is true.
Jolly:
ReplyDeleteGood point on the Elected part. That is where the story went off track.
Larry, thank you for the Mother's Day poem. I just now saw the last line.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long day.
Happy Mothers Day to Lydia, SQ, and all the other Moms out there..............including the ones who are no longer with us!
ReplyDeleteI know i'm a day late............but its the thought that counts.........right????????
ReplyDeleteI know i'm a day late............but its the thought that counts.........right????????
ReplyDeleteNo. You are now shamed forever!
I am hoping that our "mother" in the House will start showing the motherly instincts of Barbara Boxer and DEMAND that this abomination be brought to a conclusion. We will probably hit 3,400 dead soldiers today, and that's 3,400 soldiers who died for something that cannot be achieved. Enough is enough.
Now here is a woman who has no motherly instincts at all. As a matter of fact, she has no instincts at all, period. As we've all seen, even her Nazi fashion sense sucks.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that she'll be giving birth to yet another disaster, as that has been proven to be all she's capable of nurturing.
Voltron said...
ReplyDeleteI got misty reading that, so I dedicated a thread to mothers day too.
"To The Soup That I Emerged From" doesn't sound particularly romantic, Widdle Twucker...
Jolly & Larry:
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how Toesuck's husband, Joe DiGenova, has always been a liar and really stepped to the plate to smear Joseph Wilson!
Thank you Mike! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute and article to Lydia and all moms everywhere. Larry, thank you so much for dropping by my corner today and leaving such a warm comment. I'm glad you did so I could come discover this blog!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Holly