In church this morning we had 3 different talks about mothers and the importance thereof as it is Mother's Day here in New Zealand. (Is it mothers day where you are too?) While they were all wonderful speakers this one poem stuck out to me. I don't own it (or Castle) and found this copy on . with the name Harlan Howard – I do not know if this is the author of this poem as I have been told it has been around many years – my mother heard it many years ago given in pounds – besides the $$$ amounts have not gone up with inflation/living costs lol
This has not been bete'ed. While I have spell-checked it is now after 1am and has probally got mistakes in it. Please let me know...
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Kate Castle smiled as she looked over at the dining room table. Her 7 year old son Nathaniel had now been hard at work for the past 20 minutes and Kate was looking forward to seeing the finished result. She never quite knew what to expect when it came to her oldest son, he took after Rick in more ways than one. That boy was not only the spitting image of his father (along with the facial expressions that often came in handy when he was thinking about getting into trouble) but had inherited his parents love and talent for the written and spoken word.
Kate continued to prepare dinner as she watched her son; drying her hand as she saw him walking towards the kitchen.
"What have you got for me today Nathaniel? I could see you working hard over there at the table." As Nathaniel passed over his work he looked up with a hopeful smile. Kate ruffled he son's hair and read it, and this is what her darling son had written:
For cleaning up the toys all week, $5
For making my own bed this week, $1
For helping to cook dinner, $2
For reading bed-time stories to baby brother, $1
For getting a good report card, $5
For taking out the trash, $.50
For playing with baby brother when you are busy, $1
Total Charge: $15.50
As Kate looked down on her son's hopeful face - that face that looked so much like her husband's did whenever he wanted something he knew she would not approve of - a thousand memories flooded through her mind from the past 10 years.
Kate smiled at her son as she picked up the paper and turned it over and started writing on the back thinking about the life that she had not dare to dream about before she had met Rick...
'For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, No Charge.'
Kate had surprised even herself, other than the pain of missing her mother during this milestone in her life and desk duty at work she had loved the whole experience of being pregnant (other than those damn hormones). Of creating a new life. Of Seeing the almost childlike wonder on both Ricks face and her own each time they felt the baby kick or heard the heartbeat.
'For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you prayed for you, No charge.'
Nathaniel had been a calm and easy baby that had slept the whole night from the age of 3 weeks until he started teething at 5 months. Many a night when he was teething you could find Kate (his human security blanket) pacing the halls trying to get Nathaniel to go to sleep; giving tepid baths to trying and bring down high fevers that failed on more than one occasion resulting in hospital trips; or as he got older watching Disney movies/cartoons till the early hours of the morning as he could not sleep. It hurt Kate to see her son in pain during this time.
'For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years, No Charge.'
As much as Kate wanted to be at home with her new son she was itching to get back into the workforce. She loved being a mother but was sadden by some of the male detects out there who thought that law enforcement was a man's job – and that having time off to have a baby was proof of that fact. She had worked hard for respect she had and did not want to lose it.
While Kate loved the fact pregnancy gave her a reason for her bossiness and bad moods (not that she had ever really needed a reason) she hated the hormones that made her cry for no apparent reason or at the worst possible time in the office or at crime-scenes. Detective Kate Beckett did not cry... until that handsome young boy came into her life.
'For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead, No Charge.'
Nathaniel really was his father's son and from the moment he learnt how to crawl he was getting into mischief. At times she dreaded to go to work as she did not know what kind of trouble her son and her 9-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush husband would get into during her absence.
Kate knew that being a police detective with a young family came with its own set of dread and worries. She had always thought that being a detective she would be shot to death. Kate did not want to leave her children without a mother, her husband without a wife; she knew that kind of pain and did not want her innocent babies to experience that same kind of pain.
'For advice and the knowledge, and the cost of your college, No Charge.'
Kate thought about the many times Nathaniel had asked her questions about the world around him. He wanted to know how and why things worked how they did. And if he wanted a straight answer without the make-believe story or C.I.A conspiracy he went to his mama. Her favourite 'most embarrassing question moment' had to have been 2 years ago after that told him he would be getting a baby brother or sister. Rick had told him a stork put it into her tummy because they loved him and each other very much. Later that day when they went to pick up Kate from the office Nathaniel came running up to her desk loudly answer where do babies come from; and did he eat the baby.
With the continuing success of Richard Castle and the Nikki Heat novels (and wild children story books involving animals solving mysteries that had resulted from Nathaniel's bed-time stories) saving for college was not a worry in the Castle household and a college fund had been set up in his name when he had been born.
'For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose, No Charge.'
Kate honestly did not know who was worst when it came time for shopping for toys, food and clothes her husband or son. The both gave her the puppy dog eyes when they really wanted something. They normally came out of a shop with a lot more than they had intended to but in the first place.
It was almost impossible to wipe his nose – with his father's sense of adventure and gift-of-the-gab; and his mother's determination, speed and plain stubbornness it was often hard to capture him. She smiled as she recalled the number of stories she had heard over the years of why he did not in fact need to have his nose wiped.
'Son, when you add it all up, the full cost of my love is No Charge.'
She loved being a mother, his mother and would not change it for the world. It was worth every future wrinkle and gray hair she would have for the joys and pains of motherhood. For one cannot know they joy without pain.
"Mamaaaaaaaaaa... you finished yet?" Nathaniel moaned, watching his mother as she was looking at the paper with a smile on her face.
"Yes son, here you go" Kate handed the piece of paper over to the young boy.
Kate gentle stroked her son's hair as he was reading the page. When he had finished reading he stepped out of his mothers embrace and turned to face her with 'great big tears in his eyes. And as he looked up to his mothers eyes he said "Mama, I sure do love you" before giving her a quick hug.
Taking the pen from out of Kate's hand he turned around and leaned against the bench and 'in big letters he wrote: Paid in Full.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
the orginal poem will be following in the next chapter...