I wrote the following prose when my daughters
were young.
It was in 1982
and I was trying to maintain a household.
I worked as an
inventory control
clerk and on
the weekends I cooked at a motorcycle bar
( a very
humbling experience )
I worked 13
days out of 14
I cooked
breakfast for a very rough crowd but
They were some
of the nicest and most caring people I ever met!
A Single Mothers "Our Father"
By: Fran Valenta FranApple
Our Father who art in Heaven
Thanks
for getting me through the last few years
I
never wanted to be a single Mom
Hallowed
be thy name
Help
me to always remember thee
Even
when I'm so tired
Thanks
for the two jobs
and
my will to survive
Thy
kingdom come,
It
already is here
in
the smiles of my children
Thy
will be done,
and
that is always enough,
help
me to stay content
and
to pass that contentment
along
to my children.
On
earth as it is in Heaven
Help
me to look past
all
the bitterness that divorce causes
Help
me to learn to love myself
Give
us this day our daily bread
Thanks
for Ramen Noodles and lay-a-way plans
and
for family and friends
Forgive
us our trespasses
Help
me to forgive myself and to
not
expect myself to be perfect
As
we forgive those who trespass against us
People
who were our friends
sometimes
judge too harshly
divorce
situations, they really don't understand
And
lead us not into temptation
Please
give me strength
when
the loneliness gets too strong
But
deliver us from evil
For
I am "Mommy"
For
Thine is the Kingdom and the Power
and
the Glory Forever
for
I do love thee, Lord.
Amen