"Why Mothers Cry"

I signed on to post these pictures of the boys from today... nothing was on the calendar, no big life event, just pictures of the boys as we do what we do best get through each day, hopefully with a smile or two along the way

...and then I got a text from Patty...

a close family friend of theirs, of ours, lost her daughter today.

I pray that I will never know that kind of hurt and that kind of loss. I've been replaying the Steel Magnolias scene over and over in my head when M'Lynn is burying Shelby and a friend tries to comfort her with the words, "Shelby is with her King now." and she just yells, "I understand that in my head, but would somebody please explain it to my heart!"

Its not fitting enough, I don't know if I have words that are but this poem came through my inbox a few days ago and gave me pause so I'll just share it here:

"Why are you crying?" he asked his mom.
"Because I'm a mother," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said.
His mom just hugged him and said, "You never will!"
Later the little boy asked his father why Mother
seemed to cry for no reason.
"All mothers cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering
why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God, and
when God got on the phone the man said,
"God, why do mothers cry so easily?"
God said, "You see son, when I made mothers they had
to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to
carry the weight of the world, yet gently enough to give
comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth
and the rejection that many times come from their children."
"I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going
when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their
families through sickness and fatigue without complaining."
"I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all
circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very
badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make a child's boo-boo
feel better and helps them share a teenager's anxieties and fears."
"I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs exclusively to use whenever
it's needed. It's their only weakness. It's a tear for mankind."
...Author Unknown

so if you're a mom, hug your kids a little tighter tonight, and if you pray lift one up for Kathy!