Tribute To Mom Poem by Rene Bernales

"Tribute to Mom"
(Rosario Basmayor Caballero B.S.E.Ed., M.A., Ph D. Ed.)
March 30,1924 - Feb.4,2002)


Rest your head gently Mom,
Upon the soft pillows of the ground,
The days of haste and toils were gone,
The earthly sojourn and journey is done.

In retrospect, your children stand in awe,
Your selfless labors and sacrifices- for us, we know,
Misunderstood at times, unappreciated in times past,
We only come to realize in terms of value,
When death beckons to view,
Our heads now bent with respect and sorrow,
Such- you rightly deserved, but long overdue.

Yet Mothers are born with such fortitude,
Their life and works with grace bestowed,
By Him, whose hands the time appoints,
With excellence of merit- her work approved,
Measured and mete- beyond reproach.

Today I pause, and say a prayer,
For Mom, whose memory I come to remember,
How she lived a life full of service and selflessness,
To God and Country and her family's best!

A WW II Veteran, who served in the Women's Auxiliary Corps,
A Corporal in rank but a General at heart,
A Soldier, Mentor, Teacher and a Mother all throughout,
Blessed with courage and a heart devout,
"A life worthy of mention, envied by some,
Rivals our own". (As comment) .

I wonder how fate and death waved their wand,
Discreet, undisclosed to unsuspecting some,
Misunderstood by many, treacherous it appears to man,
Yet, their ways and fashion brings closer of him,
"To the bosom of his Father and his God."

Now I gladly resigned myself to fate,
Learned to accept life's mysterious ways,
Emboldened by faith, trusting God's Lead,
"Heart within and God overhead".

Remembering and yet, remembering still,
The woman, the lady, the teacher, the soldier-
And above all, the Mother- who molded, raised and cared for me,
And helped me to become what I am today.


By: Rene C. Bernales, P.E.
(On the death of my Mother)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia