She was cooking and cleaning

This that and the other,

Just her daily routine as

A wife and a mother.

While her oldest was making a

New mess with a neighbor,

And helping them clean would

Now increase her labor.

When her little one’s friend,

With a gleam in his eye,

Started eagerly listing

All the things that they buy,

Cause, ‘his mom is a boss, 

And she makes lots of money,[i]

So he’s got a new I-phone, 

A bike and a bunny. . . ‘ [ii]

As he continued, the

Day felt less sunny,

And she thought to herself, wow,

His mouth’s very runny.[iii]

Then he asked about her,

And her son said quite calm,

“I don’t have all those things,

And, oh, she’s just a mom.”

Then much later that day, 

Before nap-time had passed,

A quick knock at the door,

Brought a blast from the past,

An old friend from college

Was passing through town,

On a quick business trip,

But an hour, she found.

So they sat down with coffee, 

And they both reminisced

About the good times they’d had,

Which they both kind of missed.

Then her friend bluntly asked what

She does through the day.

“Oh, I’m just a mom,” she  

Then heard herself say.

Then after they’d talked, as  

Her friend said good-bye,

She was quite sure that 

She heard her friend sigh.[iv]

Then much later that night as

She lay in her bed,

Satan started recalling 

The things which were said.[v]

Injecting first-person thoughts, [vi]

He said, “Why am I here?

And am I just wasting

My days and my years? 

I’m doing laundry and

I’m washing dishes,

I’m refereeing fights over 

Self-centered wishes.

I’m mopping up floors and

Bathrooms, I’m cleaning,

I’m changing diapers,

It’s all so demeaning.”

And so she just lay there,

Her eyes open wide;[vii]

Could she, to her husband,

These questions confide?

Then God interrupted

And Satan retreated,

God said, “Listen, my child,[viii]

And don’t be defeated.[ix]

You’re here where I want you,

You’re here in your home,

Raising your children, so  

From Me, they won’t roam. [x]

So love and instruct them,[xi]

Comfort and hold them,

And into my likeness, [xii]

You’re to help mold them. [xiii]

And your husband, he needs you,[xiv]   

For I’ve made him wise,[xv]

To help raise your children,

On you he relies.

And if you seek greatness,

Then serving’s the way,[xvi]

And store up your treasures

In Heaven each day.”[xvii]

/////

Now many years later,

Her children are raised,

They love and serve God, so

Their parents, they praise. [xviii]

And she needs to leave early 

From her job at the store,

Her grandchildren are coming

And she needs to get more

Toppings for cookies, a

Cute pan for the cake,

Her grandchildren’s favorites,

She’s planning to make.

And so they arrive with

Both laughter and hugs, 

But, soon there’s a spill

On the living-room rug.

And she moves quite swiftly

To clean up the mess,

For she still seeks to serve and

She still seeks to bless.

And her children, they thank her

For giving her life –

To being their mom and

To being a wife.

And they visit quite often,

Their love is so deep,

She did what God said, now

These blessings she reaps.

/////

Now many years later, 

With loved ones around,

She’s ready for Heaven, 

To earth be unbound.

And her family, they praise her

For a life lived so well,[xix]

And ways that she blessed them,

They each choose to tell.

Now they say good-bye,

But it won’t be for long,

For they all know Jesus,

And to Him they belong.

And Jesus, He sets her

On streets of pure gold, [xx]

And she suddenly finds that

She’s no longer old. [xxi]

But He doesn’t stop there,

No, He takes her up high, [xxii]

To a room like a mansion,[xxiii]

Which touches the sky.

And the angels rejoice, oh [xxiv]

They cannot stay calm,

Asking, “Who made it this high?”

Jesus says, — “Just a mom!” [xxv]