Heart-to-Heart with Diane

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Woman I Wanted to Be


My sister told me about a sermon she heard on the topic of New Year's goals at an inter-faith meeting. A rabbi said that his resolution is to ask himself, every day, the same question that the passenger on the airplane that landed safely in the Hudson River asked. As the aircraft was about to plunge into the river below, he asked himself, "Am I the man I wanted to be?" So, the rabbi suggested that our resolution might be to ask ourselves that question as we start each day.

Great food for thought! Am I the woman I wanted to be? I had so many hopes/dreams when I was younger. We are just as sure as can be that we will, with all due respect, do things differently and better than our mothers did. I can remember having a goal as a young bride to wear flowers in my hair every day . . . ah, the lovely ideas of youth! Thankfully we gain more wisdom as we age. Some of our goals were fair to abandon as they were foolish or impractical, but some are still good, although forgotten, and should be resurrected.

The girl I used to be, and the goals I had, make me remember this favorite poem:

Lest We Forget

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl that I used to be. . .
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

"Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes that I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame
All the wonderful things to do?"

"Where is the mansion of stately height
With all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?"

And as she spoke, I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me . . .
This slender girl from the shadowy past
The girl that I used to be.

So gently arising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
So innocent, sweet and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me,
That silken robe is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltering walls
For the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me,
And I saw that the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl that I used to be.

—Anonymous


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7 Comments:

  • At January 8, 2010 at 6:01 AM , Blogger fawndear said...

    Love this whole beautiful post. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm definitly going to ask that question to myself.
    Tootles,
    FawnDear

     
  • At January 8, 2010 at 7:38 AM , Blogger Rachel @ Finding Joy said...

    Beautiful. An excellent reminder for me today. I have seven children ranging from 3 months-13years. It's so easy to get sidetracked from the truth.

    Blessings!

    Rachel

     
  • At January 8, 2010 at 6:54 PM , Blogger Andrea said...

    A great post to start out the year on the right foot! The poem may have just become my favorite. Thanks :0)

     
  • At January 9, 2010 at 9:14 AM , Blogger Maycie Foster said...

    I love the poem! Thank you for including it with your post. I first read it 10 years ago when my oldest child was a baby, and I liked it then. I knew then that holding my baby made me feel like I was fulfilling myself and that I was never going to pursue the things I had previously wanted. But I had no idea how far off the original course my life would go. Now I am a homeschooling mom of four and oh yes, my life looks very different than that of the woman I used to be. I decided several years ago that I wanted to include the poem in one of my baby books and then couldn't find it anywhere. But I knew one day it would come around again, and that day was today. Thanks for helping me finish my scrapbook!
    Dani

     
  • At January 9, 2010 at 3:00 PM , Blogger momof11 said...

    Thank you so much for the poem. I remember it from a long time ago, and I am always in need of a reminder of why I am here. Thank you very much.

     
  • At January 9, 2010 at 3:02 PM , Blogger momof11 said...

    Thank you so much for the poem. I remember it from a long time ago, and I am always in need of a reminder of why I am here. Thank you very much.v

     
  • At January 17, 2010 at 2:52 PM , Blogger Megan B ♥ said...

    Thank you for sharing this. I'm going to swipe it, if you don't mind! PS, I'm going to be trying your cauliflower dish this week! I've been obsessing over it since my sister sent me the link!

     

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