For Mothers

Things on the Floor Can Wait
©Artpeace

Written and performed by Liliana

A MOMENT WITH IRIS

I was warm and friendly, she seemed rather reserved.
I was poor, she was quite successful.
She was in her fifties, I was in my twenties.
She was strictly logical, I was over-emotional.
She knew things, I felt things.
Her name was Louise.
Louise did not talk about emotions or feelings; I loved talking about them.
We are now two of the greatest friends.

   Her younger daughter, Iris, didn’t believe her parents loved her. She was a very sweet 19-year-old girl, with a lot of emotional problems, and a complete lack of self-esteem. I was on a mission to show her that her parents did love her, and so I invited Louise to start walking with me in the mornings. I shortly learned that Louise stayed home 6 months when her older daughter Bethany was born, but when Iris was born, she immediately returned to work. When I asked Louise if it was hard and emotional for her, she said:
   “I didn’t have time for emotions.” That was Louise, a strong, logical, extremely successful business woman.

   Slowly, as our unusual friendship progressed, we began to learn from each other. A few years later, I was married and expecting my first child. I so much wanted to quit my job and stay at home, but my new, logical self was determined to make the right decision. At the time, I was teaching and producing music for instructional videos, and I was making steady money. My husband was a sound engineer, one day with a job, the other without. On one of our morning walks, I wanted to know Louise’s opinion. My heart was pounding as I was about to ask her. I felt the answer before I even asked the question: “Of course you have to go back to work. How is he going to support you now with a baby? You are going to put yourself in a financial crisis.”
   “Louise, what do you think?” I finally asked.
   After a long silence, I heard a soft, and for the first time, emotional voice:
   “I can buy anything I want, I can do whatever I want, but there is only one thing that I really want, and with all the money I have, I can’t buy it...
   “What is it?”
   “A moment with Iris, when she was a baby.”

   Things on the floor can wait
   Calls to return can wait
   All those lists "To do," they must wait too
   'Cause there's only one thing that won't wait
   It's this moment,
   my baby with you.

   ©Artpeace 1999

THROUGH THE EYES OF A LOVING MOTHER
Recited by Liliana

   Through the eyes of a loving mother
   I am not a failure, oh, no
   I just choose the road less traveled
   And I choose to walk on my own.

   Through the eyes of a loving mother
   I am not stubborn or proud
   I’m persistent, caring for others
   And I speak my own truth aloud.

   Through the eyes of a loving mother
   I am not wasting my life.
   On the contrary, I’m living it fully
   Into the deepest waters I dive.

   Through the eyes of a loving mother
   I am not naive or blind.
   I’m not selfish, or controlling either.
   I am open, giving and kind.

   But I’ve never been looked at
with those eyes
   Till one day I was stricken with awe...
   In the eyes of my child...
a reflection...
   What a loving mother I saw!

   Through the eyes of that
loving mother
   Everything looks so pretty and I
   Choose to look at my self
from now on
   Through only my own
truly loving eyes.

   ©Artpeace 2002

Through the eyes of a loving mother
I am no longer the lazy one
I am doing enough as it is
As a matter of fact, I deserve more fun.

Through the eyes of a loving mother
Extra pounds? I don’t have to lose
I am pretty attractive as I am
I can lose a few pounds... if I choose.

Through the eyes of a loving mother
I am not clumsy and slow
I am faster than many others
And I’m learning at just the right flow.

A MOMENT WITH IRIS

THROUGH THE EYES OF A LOVING MOTHER Recited by Liliana

THROUGH THE EYES OF A LOVING MOTHER
Recited by Liliana