MOTHERS

Althea Marie Johnson Sorensen

and

Sharon Dail Sorensen

Great-Grandma Mimi~~Grammy Sharon

A sun-drenched "gathering" room scattered with MOTHERS,

retired-separate-removed-discarded

from decades of child bearing; kissing tender hurts;

scheduling omnipresent activities;

car pooling; silently weeping through private trials;

protecting from slights and harm; earning wages; sheltering/protecting physically

mentally and spiritually;

laughing 'til sick-crying 'till dehydrated;

reaching for the Golden Ring to give their child.

Wrinkles like so many "worry beads" grace the prolapsed faces;

cloudy eyes covering, hiding so many memories...

..memories that drift in and out of consciousness,

years having worn the edges away.

Each woman is a single soul,

a single story,

a single history,

a rich and complex tapestry of living life.

SOLO

SOLO in birth.

SOLO in birthing.

SOLO in death.

The sun-drenched gathering room, a tapestry,

is hemmed in pending fear, death, complacency;

welcomed by some, fought by others.

Underneath the worn and frayed covering

is a resilient BATTING,

a rich thickness composed by LIVING.

We spent our last afternoon at Alta Ridge

visiting Grandma Mimi and her fellow "house-mates."

A group of beautiful young women, choosing to live their lives

with care and compassion visit with the residents,

SING to them,

recite POETRY and SCRIPTURE

GRACED the afternoon with a GIFT of LOVE.

Young women from Job's Daughters

Evelyn Swain Furner Velma Howard Furner my BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS.