Celebrating Moms

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom I slept as late as I wanted.
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, peed on, or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, my body and all my feelings.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was OK.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much...

...before I was a Mom.

~Author Unknown
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Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there from our family to yours.

Photo of my mother, Judy Ann Dagle, and her mother, Mary McGraw Dagle, taken on Mother's Day, May 8, 1949. Original in possession of Elizabeth O'Neal.

Happy Birthday, Mimi

Today, May 9th, would have been my grandmother’s 91st birthday.

Mary Margaret "Maura" McGraw was born in Stanton, Nebraska, and was the daughter of Thomas McGraw and Elizabeth Marie Delaney.

She was the eldest of five children. Her siblings were:

• Thomas R. McGraw, born January 19, 1919, in Geneva, Nebraska; died February 26, 1984, in Tigard, Oregon.

• Robert McGraw, born August 18, 1924, in Nebraska; died August 13, 2000, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

• Myda G. McGraw, born December 23, 1927, in Keystone, Nebraska; died January 27, 2002, in Sioux City, Woodbury Co, Iowa.

• One sister who is still living.

On June 10, 1936, Mary married George Marvin Dagle in Elk Point, Nebraska. Marvin, as he was called, died on August 12, 1951, at the age of 39, in Tacoma, Washington, leaving Mary alone to raise their two young daughters, Sharon and Judy.

Mary and the girls moved to California a few years after Marvin’s death. She eventually remarried, and had another daughter who is still living.

Mary worked at a variety of jobs to support her family; however, the one that I remember best is when she worked as a hostess and clubhouse supervisor at Leisure World in Laguna Hills (now Laguna Woods Village), California. She loved making the lives of the residents more pleasant, and they, in turn, loved her.

Mary died on February 24, 2004, in Hemet California. She is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal