A Mother's work is never done,
   every day, in every way...& then she's gone...
   but a Mother's work is never done.

Giving birth to start her joy,
    whether a cuddly girl or a scrawny boy,
The daily chores are hers to do,
     her tasks are many, the minutes few,
Wisdom to share, read them hundreds of books,
    meals never ending, must have hands of 4 cooks.
Is his homework done? Did he brush all his teeth?
    The hamster died, she soothes her child's grief.

Her own rewards are quiet simple...
     Now daughter has a brand new dimple!
     Hooray, son has lost that ugly pimple!
      Or, graduation's coming, he'll get a diploma!
         And now he shaves, has a nice new aroma!
         And daughter is steady with a new-found beau...
             Oh my, how fast did that cuddly one grow!

They are soon out of home, joys abound without measure...
      Each child brings home their newest treasure,
      Gramma they call her, & show her their prize,
       One tiny tot has Gramma's bright blue eyes...
       the other is so wrinkled, only Gramma loves this tot...
       And has patience to wait until he grows up a lot.

And her days on Earth pass by so quickly...
       but she is strong, & won't get sickly.
Yet things do change, roles do become reversed,
       Her kids now make sure that she is nursed.

            But, a Mother's work is never done...
       Her words of wisdom in her childrens' minds,
       Are a vast stored-up treasure that each child finds
       attached to memories that sooth each passing day,
       still doing Mother's work in her own special way.

Why were flowers put on earth?
Surely not to bring us mirth…
for laughter comes from jokes and fun,
but flowers grow from dirt and sun.

Why were flowers put on earth?
With Toni gone, the answer’s clear,
and will be known each passing year…

for when we see a daffodil,
daisies picked, a vase to fill,
we’ll know she’s here, with rain and sun…
telling us to walk, no, go out and run…
to the nearest mountain, to the top of the peak…
to see what she’s grown for us, if we dare to seek.

Yes, as birds dig for worms and start to sing,
we’ll know that Toni’s brought us another Spring…

And her words we’ll hear, and not her last!
“Take the cookies when they’re passed”.

So in your garden, or out on the trail…
Keep your eyes open, never fail…
when you least expect it, she will have been there,
planting wildflowers for us to share.