Lessons I'm Still Learning from My Mom

Lessons I’m Still Learning from my Mom
( With thanks to my friends and family for your love and support)
By Karen I. Shragg

Before an illness grabs you
Like a dog grabs its favorite toy
Before it shakes you down to your very core
Leaving you with a body you barely recognize
Be sure you’ve accumulated the kind of
Friends and family who will love you beyond
The physical person to whom they’ve grown accustom
Take the time today to make one more friend
Call one more relative, make someone smile
For those who are connected to your inner beauty
Will be the ones to remind you
That to them you will always be beautiful
And they will tell you that just when
You need to hear it most
Holding your hand
Giving you courage just when you think you’ve run dry
Giving you a gift you
Need not worry about ever repaying
Because you are just collecting on an investment
You’ve made over the years
With each gesture of love
With each gift of your time
They will be there like beacons on a dark night
Lighting the way to a better tomorrow.