Years ago I went to the wedding of the daughter of one of my best friends. I stood and watched my friend cry as her daughter left in the car with her new husband. I went home and wrote this poem and I would like to share it with you today.
I hope you enjoy it.
Mother of the Bride
Yesterday
my infant lay upon my arm and slept.
Today I
realized she was gone, and silently I wept.
Yesterday
she drooled and cooed as she crawled ‘round the floor.
Today I
knew that I would never see that anymore.
Yesterday
she laughed and played with children on our street.
Today,
her place at the table bare, I couldn’t even eat.
Yesterday
her piano playing drove me up the wall.
Today
the silence deafened me so, I couldn’t hear at all.
Yesterday
when she was sick, I tired playing nurse.
Today I
cannot play that role, and I feel so much worse.
Yesterday
I worried as she went out on her first date.
Today
I’d love to sit and watch for her to come home late.
Yesterday
she graduated high school with straight “A”s.
Today I
browsed her yearbook, and my mind was in a haze.
Yesterday
she said she’d met the boy of her dreams.
Today I
can’t believe how very long ago that seems.
Yesterday
she showed her ring, and said that she would marry.
Today
the thought of losing her is oh so sad and scary.
Today
her father walked her down the aisle, and gave her away.
I lost
my child as she became a lovely woman today.
Janice Austin Bates
