MOTHER POWER

Mothers come in all ages, all colours, all sizes, and any gender. They may have given birth or become mothers through adoption or having a surrogate, but what they all possess through their mothering role is nicely summed up in Mother Power - the capacity to teach, influence, mentor and to suggest for the best!  Here are some thoughts gathered from friends about what we think Mother Power encompasses!

 

Mother Power is the capacity to raise good citizens...

That cherish the earth.

That respect diversity and all living things

That enjoy reading, making, creating, inventing

That know when they mess up they can start over

That have the ambition and guts to pursue adventures and their dreams

That are good listeners, and fierce vocalizers of all they believe in.

That know right from wrong and can correct their own missteps

Who become strong and independent

Who find and live their own pronoun

Who cherish love, loyalty, friendship, family, and their community

Who appreciate individuality – and that includes differences

Who know that looking both ways is the thing to do

Who recognize that Mom made mistakes and that's okay

Who know equally how to laugh and cry

Who when the chips are down find the way up

Who are in every way good humans.

Mother Power is also, collectively, the power of mothers to use the empathy and nurturing spirit of motherhood that comes with it, to fight for what's right for their children, the community and the planet.  And that’s the prompt to mention that the USA’s Mother’s Day, traditionally celebrated the second Sunday in May, isn’t actually a Hallmark invention, but all due to Ann Reeves Jarvis, community-minded peace activist, and organizer of women’s brigades during the American Civil War who, with her fellow community worker, Julie Ward Howe, started the idea that all mothers should be commemorated for the “matchless service they render to humanity in every field of life.”  However, after her death in 1905, her daughter, Anna, reinterpreted the event – then growing in popularity -  through the lens of a devoted daughter to mean the day was dedicated to: "The Best Mother who Ever Lived—Your Mother."  (To underscore this intent she also insisted that the word Mother’s remain in the singular possessive form). Mother’s Day was formally made a legal holiday in1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.

Happy Mother’s Day!