This is a prayerful poem that honors motherhood,
First in the traditional sense of giving birth to new life,
And then moves into a more inclusive vision of what mothering can be in all of its forms as Mother Nature,
As a teacher,
As foster parents,
As the inner feminine aspect of men,
As whole families,
And as mothering the self.
All these forms of motherhood are celebrated in this meditation.
And comfort where you are,
Either seated or lying down,
And feel yourself gently connected to the earth.
Breathing in,
Imagine the breath of life moving up through your body from the earth all the way up and out the top of your head.
And as you exhale,
Your breath moves back through you,
Connecting you with all of life that is supporting you.
When you are ready,
Gently close your eyes and allow these images to be a blessing for you.
I sit in my mother's arms,
The branches of her tree,
The majestic ironwood holding me with strength.
My mother,
This earth,
Always pregnant with life,
Springing from her fertile belly,
Giving us the breath that we breathe.
I watch a mom holding her toddler's hand as they cross the parking lot.
She watches over her daughter,
That she be safe,
Leading the way,
Guiding her gently.
I remember the feel of my mom's hands on my injured knee,
Doctoring my scrape after falling,
The gentleness of her touch next to the sharpness of the pain.
She comforts me when I am hurt.
I see a mother breastfeeding her newborn baby boy,
Cooing gently in his ear,
Murmuring these words softly to him,
Querido,
Querido,
Querido,
My love,
My love,
My love.
I watch as a teacher shares words with her students about being kind and caring,
Teaching how to mother one another's souls.
I see two loving parents,
Both men,
Married,
Mothering their daughter,
Caring for her as she grows up to become a beautiful,
Independent woman.
I see a mama brown bear worriedly watching over her baby cub as he learns to climb a tree for the first time,
Mama supporting his curiosity to explore his terrain.
I watch as immigrants,
Hungry and tired,
Seeking shelter,
Are embraced by the mothering arms of volunteers at a shelter who care for,
Attend,
Feed,
And bathe those in need.
I feel as men and women take ten minutes of quiet time to meditate,
Breathe,
Rebalance,
And restore themselves,
Mothering the place within them back to a centered,
Loving space.
So what does being a mother or mothering look and feel like in your life?
And in what ways can each of us be a loving mother to ourselves,
To our families,
And to our community?
When you are ready,
Take a deep breath in and exhale gently.
And throughout your day,
Take these blessings with you of motherhood and of mothering.
Be present for yourselves and for others around you,
Allowing these blessings to fill your life with gentleness,
Kind-heartedness,
Love,
And support.
And may we celebrate all the ways that it is possible to be a mom in this world.
