I am thrilled to share Paula Schmitt, The All Sports Mom with you. Enjoy!

Nicole Dean, owner ShowMomTheMoney.com

Reflections of Motherhood
By Paula Schmitt, The All Sports Mom 

Hear Paula in her own words..

Just the other day one of my boys asked me what I wished for this Mother's Day. I thought for a moment. Hmm, what do I wish for this Mother's Day.?

I sat looking at my young son's innocent face and then closed my eyes and began to drift.

I instantly found myself back in time 35 years ago when I was five years old. It was then that I heard a voice; sweet and soft calling my name. I turned to the sound and there she was; my mother and she was outside on a beautiful sunny day trimming a fragrant Gardenia bush with a little girl at her side. I remember my mother's Gardenias and how the sweet scent filled our home. What a pair we were, my mother and I! Inseparable, like two turtle doves. This is just one of the things I wish for this Mother's Day - to go back in time and relive my younger days with my mother all over again in just one special day.

I blink and drift once more. I hear the sound of an infant cooing. I see baby blue walls and a stuffed cuddly blue bear sitting in a rocking chair. That is when I see her; a young mother nursing her baby boy, looking down at him, holding him close and never taking her eyes off him. I remember this day as a first time mother and the love I felt for my child. I would do anything for him, even if it meant staying up all night to comfort him when he was teething or ill. My child was a part of me and a gift from God above. Another wonderful gift for Mother's Day - to spend time watching my children growing up again in just one special day and holding on tight to those memories.

Again I am slowly drifting. Suddenly, I hear my daughter's voice asking me to hold out my arms. I feel a small, warm baby and I pull it up against my body. My daughter is smiling at me and caressing the baby's cheek. She has become a mother and I a grandmother. I am looking into my future. What a special gift for this special day.

"Mom?" my son whispers as he taps my hand.

I open my eyes and look at my young son's innocent face. I smile and tell him just what he has been waiting to hear.

"This is my wish for Mother's Day. To be a mother for my five children and to always have the special memories that I hold deep within my heart."

Happy Mother's Day to you!

Paula Schmitt is a writer and mother of five children living in Vermont. Her columns and essays have appeared in several publications. Paula's non-fiction book, Living In A Locker Room: A Mom's Tale Of Survival In A Houseful Of Boys is available at all online retailers and in your local bookstore. Email her at paula@paulaschmitt.com  or visit her at www.paulaschmitt.com.