Today is Mother's Day in the US. Our planned family get-together has been postponed. We can celebrate it another day when everyone is feeling better. That's my approach to holidays: flexible. What matters is our connection. What matters is at the root of why we celebrate.
Celebrations have taken on a deeper meaning, as I move through the mists of time. What matters has been deeply clarified. There is no doubt. I can be flexible about how the pieces come together.
Today I honor the gift of being a mother, a crucible of love and its power to transform everything. It has been the truest school I've known. To see to the well-being of another is a practice in surrender and grace. It provides the fortitude to face every encounter and resolve it in the best way.
I didn't seek motherhood, it sought me. I had other visions for my life. I was never one of those women that craved a baby. Surprise! I took a different route than originally planned and it was perfect (though I didn't feel that way at the time.)
Motherhood was very challenging for me. I came from a deeply dysfunctional family and felt ill-equipped. I knew I'd make a mess of things and pass the crappy stuff down the family tree. It didn't turn out that way.
It has been a stormy school, but I have weathered it. How could I be so bad if they looked at me with pure unadulterated love? My children's love inspired and sustained me. It changed me. I worked my way into a better version of myself. I am forever grateful I went down the wrong path, lol!
Whether you are a mother, caregiver, or nurturer, this day can be an opportunity for reflection and meaning. Not on the commercial celebration but on the power of love to live in you in all ways. And how we can gift it to one another.
May the day bless you
with comfort and care,
joy and gratitude.
May your inner wellspring
nourish and nurture
your true being.
And so it is.