I can still remember working my small hands at the guidance of my fourth grade teacher. Mrs. Matteybelle Locke knew how to touch the affections of a mother's heart.  She was not merely a school teacher.  She was a loving mother herself.  Under her direction the entire class became master craftsmen with a handful of gem clips and the tackiest green tape you'll ever see.  With our crude materials and our starry-eyed creativity we created a paper clip necklace garnished with the adornment of that little green tape.  And though it never would have won any craft show prizes or brought any acclaim from local jewelers, I thought it was quite a rare find. So did Mama. On Mother's Day Sunday, she donned that gaudy gem clip strand with the tacky green tape, and paraded through the crowds with the elegance and sophistication of a queen.  She wore it proudly. And she was beautiful.

    Only a Mother.

    "I want to take you out to eat today."  I was only a young child when I said those words to my mother.  I was out of school for the day by appointment with Dr. Peeler, my pediatrician.  I had just enough money in my entire financial portfolio to treat Mama to an elegant lunch for two at the local Krystal.  I can remember the doting look on her face as she stood silent, clutching her purse with both hands in front of her.  She watched as I dug each wrinkled dollar bill and shiny coin from my shorts pockets and paid the cashier.  Picking up our tray of delicacies I led her to a comfortable little counter by the window which offered a stunning view of the Whitesburg-Bob Wallace intersection.  "How are your Krystals?" I asked.  "Best I ever had!" was her reply.  You'd think we were in an Italian bistro overlooking the canals of Venice.  To her I guess we were.

    Only a mother.

    No one loves quite like a mother.  No one feels quite like a mother.  No one sacrifices quite like a mother.  WHo knows best how to soothe a savage cry in the middle of the night?  Only a mother.  Who gives up that long needed dress in lieu of the latest fashion for her children?  Only a mother.  Who realizes most the importance of masterpieces supported by refrigerator magnets?  Only a mother.  Who produces life from within herself and continues to nourish that life as long as she lives?  Only a mother.
    For all the fruit she yields, each year we set aside a day to say "thank you."  One day to say thanks for the love and life that can only be found in one vessel.  One day to say thanks for the affection and feeling known best through one particular heart.  One day?  Let us live that day of gratitude every day of our lives.  Reach out and touch the memories of the past.  Remember the hands that held your own.  Remember the love that molded the child.  Remember the life that gave life.  Remember the source.  It's not hard to find.  Just look homeward.
    She will always be there.

    Only a mother.