Few of us appreciate a mother's loving care
-till the bitter moment when we find
she isn't there-to listen to our woes and
wants. To cheer and to advise. Too late we
see just what she was-too late we realise.
That's a mother's great vocation. That's her
destiny: to give all that she has to give-
and serve unselfishly……To make a home a
place that's something more than an address-
a centre of affection and of peace and happiness.

Winifred Emma May

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-great-vocation/