The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long? she asked. And the guide said, "Yes, and the way is hard. You will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."


But the young mother was happy. She would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way and bathed them in the clear streams. The sun shone on them and life was good. The young mother cried, "Nothing could be lovelier than this!"


The night came and the storm. The path was dark . The children shook with fear and cold. The mother drew them close under her mantle. The children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid for you are near. We know no harm can come." And the mother said, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children COURAGE!"


The morning came. There was a hill ahead. The children climbed and grew weary, but at all times, she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed. When they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." That night when the mother looked up at the stars she said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned FORTITUDE in the face of hardship. Yesterday, I gave them Courage, toay I have given them STRENGTH."


The next day came strange couds, which darkened the earth; clouds of war, hate, and evil. The children groped and stumbled. The mother said, "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." The children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory. It guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. That night the mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children GOD."


The days went on, the weeks and the months and the years. Mother grew old. She was little and bent. But the children were tall and strong and walked with Courage. When the way was hard, they helped their mother. When the way was rough, they lifted her. At last they came to a hill. Beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. The mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone and their children after them."


And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates." They stood and watched her as she went alone. The gates closed after her.


And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory, she is a living PRESENCE."









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