Louise Carroll: Mother's Day about women who shaped our lives
Mother's Day is all about the women who shape our lives and they can mother whether they have children or not. Just think of the influence that mothers, adopted mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts, cousins, sister, friends, teachers, nieces and granddaughters have had on our lives. To celebrate Mother's Day is to celebrate the roles women play loving and nurturing us.
Each mother is unique and brings her one-of-a-kind bond to each child. When we were young we just needed a hug or a soothing word, and in case of a scrape or bump a little pure mother spit on a handkerchief quickly cured the hurt. When we, early on, found out that life wasn't fair, it was mother's love that soothed the soul. As we got older our mother was a guide to what is right and wrong and what to do when that conflicted with what we wanted to do. Mothers are role models so some of us learn well how to be mothers and some don't. For some, mothers become friends and confidants, the inspiration and guide to their lives.
One reader wrote that his mother was a warrior, always standing up for her children when they needed an advocate. Yes, mothers are warriors on the front line for their children everyday. As we pause on Mother's Day to remember all the mothers in our lives, we can only be filled with gratitude and love.
My mother was a farm girl, who at 16, was working in a glass factory, and went on to work most of her life. She quit school in the fifth grade because at that time girls were needed to help their mothers with the children and the home and boys left school early, too, to work on the farm. With a deep appreciation of education, my mother always encouraged me to read and learn. Once when someone asked her if she was a teacher, she considered it a huge compliment and treasured it.
Many women have contributed to my life and in important ways have mothered me. They gave me a kind word during a time of grief, an encouraging word of love when I was feeling low, a look of sympathy at an embarrassing moment and words of approval and advice that have made a difference in my life.
As I consider the priceless contributions of the women who have touched my life, I know it is time to redefine Mother's Day. After all "mother" is a verb, which the dictionary defines as "take care of."
The internet has a lot of material about Mother's Day including poems and books. I chose a few to share.
*What Mother Means
by Karl Fuchs
“Mother” is such a simple word,
But to me there’s meaning seldom heard.
For everything I am today,
My mother’s love showed me the way."
* Kahlil Gibran's "Your Children Are Not Your Children" is worth reading. Here is the beginning and you can read the rest on the internet.
“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow …”
I want to close with this short verse because I believe all mothers have a sense of humor.
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Happy Mother’s Day, Mum!
Sorry you didn’t give birth to a poet who could rhyme!"
God bless all mothers on Mother's Day.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Carroll: Mother's Day about women who shaped our lives
