The Young Mother Set Her Foot on the Path of Life

The Young Mother Set Her Foot on the Path of Life

“Is this the long way?” she asked. And the guide said: “Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, “Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.” And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, “A little patience and we are there.”

So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, “Mother, we would not have done it without you.” And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength.”

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: “Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.” And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, “ This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God.”

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent, but her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said: “I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.”

And the children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.” And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence.”

Your Mother is always with you
She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not well.

Your Mother lives inside your laughter and she’s crystallized in every teardrop.

She’s the place you came from, your first home; and she’s the map you follow with every step you take.

She’s your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you...

Not time, not space... not even death.

Author Unknown

I just thought I would mention that a Wikipedia page has been posted about The Snap Magazine. It was posed by Dave Phillips, who, with permission, used a lot of material from our website. This page can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snap_Magazine

Also, Dave has started several strings on AZ Billiard Forums, so if you want to participate in a discussion about The Snap and billiard memorabilia in general, you can visit their site and search for "Snap Magazine."

http://forums.azbilliards.com/

Finally, I should mention that we at MetroDirect have decided to drop the copyright notice on all pages of the website. So now, if you would like to have images from the site to save for yourself, share with others, or perhaps post on forums and other venues, you can feel free to download them and use them in any way you wish.

Thanks

Thanks, Dave, for the complement. If you happen to see Mr. Yates, please let him know about the website, since I am sure he would be interested in seeing it.

In The Beginning . . .

I am going to kick this blog off by inviting anyone who is interested in The Snap Magazine, or in any subject relating to billiards, to post questions, comments, answers to questions, news, historical facts, offers of billiard memorabilia items for sale or trade, or just about anything else you feel might be of interest to others visiting here. Please note that, since The Snap Tribute website has just been completed, it may be a while before anyone discovers this forum, so don't let the date on this entry worry you. I will be monitoring it for years to come, and will respond as quickly as possible to any questions or other entries I feel require a response.