Grief is intrinsic to these Hallmark holidays. A Sunday in May might not carry the sorrow that this day does for so many otherwise. Today, as we celebrate the love we have, the love we are missing and the love we look to experience some day perhaps, as it relates to the act of Mothering, I hope we can be gentle with ourselves.
As a mother myself I am able to view the experience from both sides. I still, on an almost daily basis, feel the need and the void that my mother left behind. I reach to her spirit throughout the day, nearly every day. Her guidance is powerful and I rely on her very much. She is a part of me, as I once was a part of her. We can not underestimate the power of this bond for so many. However, I know for sure, that this physical experience does not magically provide a membership card into the circle of those who Mother, as this privilege is available to many who have not given birth.
As I sit in quiet reverence today and think of the personal relationship that I had, and still have, with my mother, the word that presents itself over and over is faith. My mother embodied faith and she passed that down to me in more ways than I can count. As a devout Catholic, she lived her faith, but it was even more than that. She had faith in the people she loved, in me, even in times when I didn’t deserve it. She taught me to have faith in myself. She believed in the power of goodness, kindness, and love. Faith had sustained her during the darkest days of her life and she could have lived a life filled with resentment and bitterness. Instead, she battled the demons of depression, prayed a lot, and found her healing as she gave of herself to others in service. This was her gift to us.
My mother’s spirit lives on in me, I feel her and hear her. I am grateful that my spirit chose her to be my mother. I hope that someday, when I am a whisper or a breeze that touches my children after I am gone, that they can feel half of the love and appreciation that I feel for my beautiful Mom. <3
I hope that this day brings comfort to those who grieve, in knowing that the essence of a mother never leaves you. You only need to listen for it.
For those who have a mother, that they may let her know, in the most authentic way for them, that they care.
And for those who hope to be a mother someday – that they may be filled with love on that journey.
May today offer clarity and peace of mind for those somewhere in the middle as well, unsure if their journey includes motherhood.
As for the many that will never have the title of Mother, and yet offer the true essence of Motherhood to so many, may they have all that they give, come back to them tenfold.
Happy Mother’s Day
“We are born of Love, Love is our Mother” ~ Rumi