By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 200 moveable parts, all replaceable, run on black coffee and leftovers, have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart, and have six pairs of hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No way!"

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mother must have!"

"And that's on the standard model?" the angel asked.

The Lord nodded. "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."

The angel tried to stop the Lord: "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation and it's is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick and can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine-year-old to stand in the shower."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. Told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The angel was impressed: "You are a genius, Lord. You have thought 'of everything. Women are truly amazing!"

- Anonymous

Baltimore, Md. - I just wanted to say thanks for your help with the scholarship for my daughter, Ashley Burrell, who attends Cardinal Shehan School. I'm very proud of her. She has great grades and with the scholarship it allows her to participate in activities after school. Again thanks.

Baltimore, Md. - I am writing this letter of appreciation to all of you at CSF to thank you for giving my 5 children the gift of a 4-year scholarship to receive a private school education. For years I have been wanting my children to attend a private school, but I could never seem to find the financial stability to make it happen, but thanks to organizations like yours, low-income families now have a chance to give their children an affordable and quality education.

Since my children have been enrolled in private school, I have seen them become more willing to explore this educational field of opportunity with enthusiasm and the willingness to learn. They love the school that they are attending and they seemed to be extremely happy when I told them that they could stay at this school for the next four years. They have acquired a desire to achieve everything that they can because they have been given a more structured and less crowded leaming environment. CSF has given my children a chance to fulfil their dream and mine of a better education.

Ever since I have been dealing with your organization, I have been treated with the utmost respect from your staff. They are very pleasant and always willing to answer any questions with immediate response. I must also point out that Mrs. Duvall does everything within her power to answer and address any problems that may arise. If there is a question that she cannot answer, she will take the time to find the answer for you. Now, that's what you call dedication!

I will close my letter by saying what I think most of the parents who have had help from all of you at CSF would say, if we all had one voice, Thank You! Thank You!, for realizing that there are parents out there who could not send their children to private school without your help. It is nice to see that there still are people in this world who care about making sure that everyone has a fair chance at a quality education. We could not have achieved this without your help.