First off. I'd like to acknowledge that Mother's Day ain't easy for all of us. And if that happens to be you, I see you. It can be hard to exist when it feels like nobody is speaking to you and there isn't space for you. If this upcoming holiday and it's messaging is difficult in this moment (better yet…if anything is difficult for you in this moment!), I wish you a spaciousness, ease, and kindness that can hold your experience. ❤️
Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all beings, radiating kindness over the entire world. — Buddha
The Buddhists often speak of a mother’s love for her child — it’s undoubtedly one of the most universal and evocative images. It is a powerful metaphor for both loving kindness and compassion. Some may have been lucky enough to have received from their mothers the unconditional love from which dreams are made. Though I love my mom dearly, our relationship has been marked by relational difficulties. Each person, each mother, is only able to give what they themselves know and embody.
I am not the person that can turn to my mother in times of distress, share my story, and be comforted. That is not the nature of our relationship …And that is OK. I am learning (and hoping) to let go of my expectations of her so I can fully cherish what she has for decades offered and continues to offer me. I know our time together will one day come to an end. Despite whatever difficulties, I know deeply that without my mother’s love, care, and devotion, I simply wouldn’t be here. I also know that we are both changing and as a result, our relationship is inevitably changing…and that gives me just enough space to (maybe, sometimes) see beyond the stories I tell myself that limit my experience of us.
Becoming a mother is a transformative process. One goes beyond oneself to care for another — open-hearted and persevering no matter the difficulty. So this Mother’s Day (whether you are “mother” or not), I’d like to invite you to connect with the powerful mother qualities of loving kindness and compassion. These qualities are innate and a part of your being — they aren’t things you need to go somewhere to acquire (though it may feel like it some days). Depending on your relationship with these qualities, you may need to contemplate… 🪷 Where do loving-kindness and compassion show up in my life? Where does it not? 🪷 When am I able to connect with these qualities? And when am I not? 🪷 Another way to put it might be…when is my heart open? When is it not? And why?
Why do I ask these questions? Why this invitation? I do believe it is up to each of us, in our own way, to transform our world…one open-hearted moment at a time. Oftentimes it starts at home — with ourselves. I can think of no better way to honor the heart of all mothers than by bringing a little more peace into this beautiful yet also troubled world.
My wish for you (my wish for myself). May you learn to hold yourself as a mother holds her beloved child. And may that love and care radiate far and wide to wherever it is needed and to whomever is in need. With love, Yvonne 🐈💕
