Gratitude For Motherly Kindness!

I am grateful to be sending this blog to you all on Mother's Day aboard the train on route from Canberra to Sydney! 

As I said last blog, It is so helpful to remember to be thankful to all those people in our lives who have been motherly, kind and caring toward us, including of course our own maternal mothers, to whom we owe so much, including our lives. So today is that special day we can reflect on being grateful to our Mother’s and all those who have shown Motherly kindness to us!

I have presented some of the ideas in this blog before so sorry if you feel there is some repeating going on.

One May, as Mother’s Day was approaching, I decided to explore what it means to be a mother, or motherly toward others. We all know what being a mother means in the traditional sense, however I wanted to expand this understanding. I looked in the dictionary and in addition to the expected definition of mother as a ‘female parent’ I also found mother means ‘a condition that gives rise to something else’. I found this so interesting as we are all doing this all the time. We are creating conditions that give rise to other things every time we speak, act and think! As Mother Teresa says 'kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless'. I then went on to look up synonyms for ‘motherly’ and found words including affectionate, kind, loving, maternal and tender. 
 
So, as we are all mothers in the creator sense, it is very helpful to be aware of what we are creating with our language, actions and thoughts. We all have the opportunity to be ‘motherly creators’ by showing kindness to others, regardless of our relationship with them. And of course, don’t forget to be kind to yourself too. We can be ‘motherly or kind’ toward our children, our partners, relatives, friends, pets, strangers and of course ourselves too, whether we are female parents or not. 
 
I enjoyed thinking about inspiring people who show motherly love toward others. People like Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, our friends who are amazing foster parents, a kind truckie who got us out of trouble, my spinster Aunt Rosa and other friends and family many of whom are not mothers in the traditional sense.

So as powerful mothers or creators it is helpful to be aware of the power of kindness, both to others and to ourselves.

Mother's Day provides a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on and be grateful for all the kindness Mother figures, especially our own Mothers have shown and continue to show us. Some of us may have had difficult parenting or family situations. Meggan Watterson reminds us 'even if you have never experienced a mother's love, the true force of that loving protection exists within us. S,o we can give it to ourselves'.Remembering to tune into our wise self to be reminded of this love and protection within us, allows us to take care of and give ourselves the love and mothering we need. 

A really helpful reminder when it comes to a difficult mothering experience is forgiveness. Toni Salerno   shares this wise advice on forgiveness..........

'Holding on to past hurt prevents us from moving forward and achieving our heart's desires. Let it go! Forgiveness does not mean that you condone another's actions: it simply means that you are no longer willing to be a perpetual victim to a particular person or event. Blame is a waste of our precious energy. Bless and surrender the past for in doing so you will reclaim the joy of life.' And don't forget to practice forgiveness for yourself too.

Thank you for your kindness and happy Mother’s Day everyone.

With love, appreciation and very best well wishes to us all 
Maree xx