MOTHER

A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take. -Cardinal Mermillod

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. - Rajneesh

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. -Margaret Culkin Banning

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. -Washington Irving

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother. - Lin Yutang


A MOTHER
When you're a child she walks before you,
to set an example.
When you're a teenager she walks behind you
to be there should you need her.
When you're an adult she walks beside you
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together -Author Unknown

There was never a great man who had not a great mother. -Oliver Schreiner

Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. -Oliver Wendell Holmes

When I stopped seeing my mother with the eyes of a child, I saw the woman who helped me give birth to myself. -Nancy Friday

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
Chewed 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 my mind.
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 okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonderfulment
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

BABIES

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. - Carl Sandburg

When the very first baby laughed for the very first time, the laughter broke into a thousand pieces and that was the beginning of fairies. -Peter Pan

Babies are such a nice way to start people. - Don Herrold

It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into. -Terri Guillemets

Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were an hour old I would die for you. This is the miracle of love. - Maureen Hawkins

A baby is a blank cheque made payable to the human race. -Barbara Christine Seifert

Babies are necessary to grown-ups. A new baby is like the beginning of all things—wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. In a world that is cutting down its trees to build highways, losing its earth to concrete ... babies are almost the only remaining link with nature, with the natural world of living things from which we spring. -Eda Le Shan

With the golden light of sunrise, morning dawned upon the earth. A day composed in heaven for a baby's blessed birth. -Marianne Richmond

SERVICE PEOPLE

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. - José Narosky

Freedom is never free. -Author Unknown

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. -Dick Cheney

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. -John F. Kennedy

I'm just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at 'em, bright and early
I'm all business in my suit
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success, from my head down to my boots
I don't do it for money, there's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory, I just do it anyway
Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah I'm real good under pressure, being all that I can be
And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekend's been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey I'm true down to the core
And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don't want to die for you
But if dyin's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor
'Cause freedom don't come free
I'm an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American soldier
Yeah, an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line, so sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American
An American
An American soldier
-"American Solider" by Toby Keith

I, ( ), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
-Military Oath of Enlistment

I was that which others did not want to be.
I went where others feared to go, and did what others failed to do
I asked nothing from those who gave nothing and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness...should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear;
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment's love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped...but most of all,
I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was...a soldier.
- George L. Skypeck, Vietnam Veteran

We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. - George Orwell

PROM

Here we are at last
The moment soon will pass
We'll go our separate ways
We'll vanish in the haze
We'll never be the same
We'll forget each other's names
We'll grow old and lose our hair
It's all downhill from there

But tonight we'll reach for the stars
We'll rent expensive cars
And dream our dreams
Of a perfect night
And we'll sing our prom theme
- "Prom Theme" by Fountains of Wayne

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take on single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance.......I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance,
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance........I hope you dance.
-"I Hope You Dance" Lee Ann Womack

To everything there is a season...and a time to dance. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

If I could explain to you what I meant, there would be no reason to dance. - Isadora Duncan

All our young lives we search for someone
to love, someone who makes us complete.
We choose partners and change partners.
We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope,
all the while wondering if somewhere and
somehow there is someone searching for us. -The Wonder Years

Dance as though no one is watching you,
love as though you have never hurt before,
sing as though no one can hear you, live
as though heaven is on earth. -Author Unknown

You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your live
See that girl, watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen
Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a place to go
We're they play the right music, getting in the swing
You've come to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance
You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen
You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave 'em burning and then you're gone
Lookin' out for an other, anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance
You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen
Dig in the dancing queen -Dancing Queen, Bjorn Ulvaeus