A friend of ours found this poem and passed it on. Although we’re not overly religious, the poem touched our hearts:

I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today,
I asked, “What makes a Mother?”
And I know I heard him say:
“A Mother has a baby,
This we know is true”
“But, God, can you be a mother
When your baby’s not with you?”

“Yes, you can”, he replied
With confidence in his voice,
“I give many women babies,
When they leave, it is not their choice.
Some I send for a lifetime,
And others for the day,
And some I send to feel your womb,
But there’s no need to stay.”

“I just don’t understand this God,
I want my baby here.”

He took a breath,
and cleared his throat,
And then I saw a tear.
“I wish I could show you,
What your child is doing Here…

If you could see your child smile
With other children and say,
“We go to earth to learn our lessons
of love and life and fear,
but My mommy loved me so much
I got to come straight here!
I feel so lucky to have a Mom who had so much love for me,
I learned my lessons very quickly,
My Mommy set me free.
I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day.
When she goes to sleep,
On her pillow is where I lay.
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek,
And whisper in her ear,
“Mommy, Please don’t be sad today,
I’m your baby and I am here”

“So you see my dear sweet one,
Your children are okay.
Your babies are here in My home,
And this is where they’ll stay.
They’ll wait for you with Me,
Until your lessons there are through,
And on the day that you come home,
they’ll be at the gates waiting for you”

“So now you see
What makes a Mother,
It’s the feeling in your heart,
It’s the love you had so much of
Right from the very start.”

Author Unknown