By Michelle DeFord

Mother’s Day… To me is the day that I reflect on my children. I remember the way that it felt the first time they were placed in my arms and the first time I unwrapped the blankets and explored their tiny fingers and counted their toes.

You marvel at their tiny eyebrows, the shape of their eyes and the color of their hair. Those memories are engraved on your heart for eternity.

As your children grow up they present you with cards, flowers and poems. They bring you breakfast in bed and make your day as special as they know how.

All of those good memories don’t compare with the first time that you held them.

At that moment you feel so much love for them that you know without a doubt you would give your life for theirs should it be required. It is one of the greatest privileges of life to watch them grow and become the people that you knew they could be. This is the natural order of life.

For some of us this Mother’s Day means something different. In my case, I now have the memory of the last time I held my eldest child. We were standing in line at the Airport. I can still feel his arms around me and his chin resting on my head. My eyes were full of tears and he tried to comfort me by saying he would call every chance he got. I tried desperately not to cry, I didn’t want him to feel sad. David already had enough on his plate. He was headed for Iraq. He chuckled and said, “come on Mom, there are 130 thousand guys over there what are the odds?”

David kept his word. He called home to talk to his Dad and me every Monday morning. If he missed his Dad he would call on the next Sunday again.

Mother’s Day for me now includes September the 25th, 2004. The day that 3 soldiers came to my door to inform me of David’s death: a death that I hold this administration responsible for. I also hold responsible those who jumped at the opportunity to invade a sovereign nation that was never a threat to the United States.

So this Mother’s Day, Steve and I renew our vow to keep on fighting to bring our troops home and end the occupation of Iraq. We don’t want to meet any more families who also remember two dates for Mother’s day when there should only be one.

As a mother your children’s life should be remembered by the date they were born…not the date that they left your world.

To each of us a Life is given that no one should take away.

This Mothers Day my wish is that all the Women of the World could stand together as one and demand: Not one more child. You war mongers can not have one more child to use as Cannon Fodder for your wars.