A Mother’s Love

I did have this on my poetry blog, but it's here now, too.

A Mother’s Love

A baby’s hand around your thumb
is a moment to cherish always,
You know your heart’s been taken
she has you the rest of your days.

Smiling at the wind, breeze blowing her hair
she reaches for things unknown.
That smile, those eyes, those tiny toes,
Hang onto it before she’s all grown.

Bottles and diapers, late nights awake
Rocking chair getting worn out…
These are times Mom’s would not trade
Even when she throws you a pout.

Scraped up knees, tears so true
as she begins to grow…
Trying to be so grown-up,
her independence shows.

School days come, off you go…
With tears, climb on the bus
our hearts just ache…there goes my girl...
They don’t mind though… it’s us!

Coughs and colds and chicken pox,
bikes and Barbies and friends.
Easter Bunny, Santa Claus,
And all the latest trends.

Bible school, Preschool, Girl Scouts, too.
On and on it goes each year
her sweet voice saying, I love you, Mom!
As you try to fight back the tears.

Then all of a sudden comes the day,
you find the baby’s gone
And what you have is a teenager
With boys, and cars and songs.

Football games and dances,
Long hours on the phone,
Pretty gowns and wrist corsage,
You find she’s never home.

When she had tiny little hands
and all she did was play,
All the sunshine in the world
warmed over you each day.

But if you aren’t looking she can disappear,
leaving in her place a shell,
here comes everything that you fear
and throws your world into hell.

The sparkle is gone, she smiles not at you,
She lies and cheats and steals.
Spends time with friends that are sneaky and shallow
And never says how she feels.

Her eyes are glassy, she slurs her words,
and stays out all night long.
She’s killing herself, taking you along
It’s so hard to still be strong.

The enemy that you cannot see
Is taking your beautiful child,
It picks her up and carries her away
To places that are ugly and vile.

She smiles at nothing, she’s dark and distant,
bitter and ugly and cold.
You try to see around what she’s doing
But it’s getting very old.

But you can’t give up, not now or ever,
You’ve come too far to turn back
Remember when she was a newborn,
and all the sleep that you lacked?

And the miles you put on that rocker,
And the blankie you looked everywhere for,
And her friends you loved like your own kids,
And you know that you would do more.

So take her hand while you still have the chance
and hold it really tight,
Pull her away from demons unseen,
that sneak up on you in the night.

Give her your love and walk the path,
even when she says no.
Be there until she finds her way,
through things that she doesn’t know.

Just like when she learned to walk
While hanging on to your thumb
Although she may have slipped from you,
Without her, you would be numb.

Be tough, be strong
and this too shall pass
with the blink of a babies eye.
I love my girls through all their mistakes
A Mother’s love will never die.





Young Girl Hugs Her Teddy Bear
Giclee Print
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Hugs Not Drugs
Magnet
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Drug Addiction Quiz...Are You an Addict?

Do you have an addiction? If you do, are you even aware? Take this quiz to find out.

Q: Have you used drugs other than those required for medical reasons?

Yes
No

Q: Have you abused prescription drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Do you abuse more than one drug at a time?

Yes
No

Q: Do you use drugs more than once a week?

Yes
No

Q: Have you tried stop using drugs and were not able to do so?

Yes
No

Q: Have you had blackouts or flashbacks as a result of drug use?

Yes
No

Q: Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?

Yes
No

Q: Does your spouse -or parents - ever complain about your involvement with drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Has drug abuse created problems between you and your spouse or your parents?

Yes
No

Q: Have you lost friends because of your use of drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you neglected your family because of your use of drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you been in trouble at work because of your use of drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you lost a job because of drug abuse?

Yes
No

Q: Have you gotten into fights when under the influence of drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you engaged in illegal activities in order to obtain drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you been arrested for possession of illegal drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you ever experienced withdrawal symptoms (felt sick) when you stopped taking drugs?

Yes
No

Q: Have you had medical problems as a result of your drug use - memory loss, hepatitis, convulsions, bleeding, etc.?

Yes
No

Q: Have you gone to anyone for help for a drug problem?

Yes
No

Q: Have you been involved in a treatment program especially related to drug use?

Yes
No

According to the Vanderbilt University Addiction Center, the level of advisability of seeking drug treatment at this time is based on the number of Yes answers you give. 1-5 Yes, low level. 6-10 Yes, moderate level. 10-15 Yes, substantial level. 16-20 Yes severe level.

I Woke up with a Drug Addict in My House

It isn't bad enough that teens are like demons to raise. Demons that will suck the blood out of your body and eat you raw. It isn't enough that there were all the normal (?? what is that??) issues that go with raising 5 kids,4 of them being teenage girls from the ages of 13 to 17. You now, the usual problems like zits that crop up just before the big date, hair that doesn't go just right, hoodies and shoes that go missing because someone wore them to a friend's house, boyfriend trouble, homework that doesn't get done until I do it the night before it's due, skipping school, wrecking cars, beer parties, prom dresses out the ying yang, mood swings, PMS and keeping Kotex in business for the past 10 years. No, that just wasn't enough. I had to wake up one morning and realize I had a drug addict in the house. You do everything right. Or you think you do, but there it is anyway, slapping you in the face for the rest of your life, because if you didn't know, once and addict always an addict. Well, the addiction led to behavior very unbecoming to an upstanding young woman, in a very small town where EVERYONE knows what's going on and if they don't, they make up there own version. Needless to say, the child that used to entertain herself for hours with Barbies in the playroom and never caused a lick of trouble ended up in jail. I never wanted any part of this, I never wanted to visit a jail, but I did...3 days a week every week for over a year. I never thought I could stand up in front of a judge and a room full of lawyers and other defendants and speak on behalf of my kid. I never wanted to spout off to a Probation Officer on a power trip and tell him that being on probation doesn't cure addiction. I never wanted to cry as much as I did those many, many months. I didn't want to know drug lingo and distrust my kids or their friends or continually ask myself what I did wrong. It's been an interesting lesson, an undesirable place to be when you should be buying more prom dresses, making graduation plans and going through college brochures. Instead I have a handbook from the local County Jail. But here's the deal. My daughter didn't use heroin, crack, cocaine or even weed, at least not at first. Her addiction started with prescription pain pills. So take my advice, LOCK UP ALL PRESCRIPTION MEDS. The drug dealer on the corner isn't the only threat. The problem is in your medicine cabinet, or your purse, or your night stand. Another bit of advice...Don't trust your kids. Question their every move, where they are, who they're with, when they'll be home, how much money they spend, who's calling on the house phone or cell, why they are losing weight or look so pale. Don't put up a wall, don't try to be cool with your kids, because they'll screw you if they have a chance, and so will their friends. And don't let up, they'll thank you for it later.

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/

It just fits