Last night I was cleaning out a closet and stumbled upon this handmade place mat that my son made in 1998. Calculating his age 15 years back, he must have made it when he was five years old in kindergarten. He is now 20 years old. Time has faded it a bit with some wrinkles and now his hands are three times larger. But the little poem on the bottom written by Kathleen Lademan is timeless:
En Espanol: Un Pedacito del Amor de Mi Hijo
A piece of me I
I give to you.
I painted this flower
To say “I love you.”The heart is you.
The hand is me.
The show we are friends-The best there can be.
I hope you will save it
And look back someday
At the flower we shared
On your special day.
How serendipitous that I found this last night almost at midnight precisely when Mother’s Day approached so I can have a moment of joy. I may have a few more wrinkles like this place mat, but it could be from all the smiles in my face in reminiscing of all the wonderful moments we have shared as mother and son.
Here is his hand now!
I am blessed beyond belief to have a son like him and to have experienced an amazing motherhood. I wish for all mothers all the love in the world today. May it be a joyous day for you! I am now on the way to give some love to my own mom who is my other greatest gift.