For The Moms

Cheers to the Moms who befriended me

And here’s to the Moms who persuaded me

And upended my notion

That volunteering required too much devotion

A devotion I soon learned

Was willingly given and joyfully earned

I was new to the scene

And didn’t know what it would mean

To give so much time to so many theater teens

Here’s to the Moms who welcomed me to the team

To the Moms who worked just as hard at the jobs they got paid for

And showed me this was a job that I was just as grateful for

To the Moms who would say

It will all be okay

When it was clear as day

That I didn’t know what the hell I was doing

Here’s to the Moms who were once just names

On an impossibly long email chain

Who became the friends I text when I need to laugh and stay sane

Here’s to the Moms who suffered me when I forgot their names

And introduced myself for the third time. Again.

Here’s to all of us, with too much on our minds

To remember much beyond just the kids’ names

Here’s to the costume-makers

The brownie-bakers and ticket-takers

The video-makers

And front row picture-takers

The memory keepers

The backstage weepers

Here’s to the Moms who inspire show-themed décor

Here’s to the Moms who execute the vision

The No-Nonsense Moms who make the decisions

The Moms who Get-It-Done, make it fun

Who walk softly and carry a glue gun

Here’s to the Moms who keep inventory

The Finders of Things, the ones who organize

The ones who keep a mental list of supplies

The ones who know where the tape is and the sharpies are

Here’s to the architects of emails

The keepers of the details

And the sign-up geniuses

Cheers to the moms who remember

The break-a-leg bouquets

The note cards laden with praise

The seat-savers

And frantic crowd wavers

Here’s to the ones who are willing and able

But sometimes forget the cookies on the dining room table

Here’s to the Moms who arrive breathless through the door

Running, panting, ranting

But ready for whatever is asked for

Here’s to the Moms who always stayed

From before the opening notes

To beyond the final serenade

And when the emotional load

Became untenable

Cheers to the moms who were so amenable

Who hugged us through our tears

And always kept the tissues near

Here’s to the Moms who held me up

Who held my hand

As we watched our babies make their final stand

Take their final bows, give the stage a final kiss

And know how lucky we are

To have had such a time as this

For the love and friendships formed

Around that scuffed and well-worn stage

I will carry with me as long as I live

And the lesson this theater mom has learned:

You get back so much more than you give.