A vast topic…From the queen bee devoting her very existence to the propagation of her young to all manner of species and mammal mothering…The world over recognizes the miracle of new life, of existence being added to existence, and the great light that accompanies this movement.
I have had the great, good fortune of becoming a mother to two beautiful sons in this lifetime. This destiny has brought with it a profound sweetness and joy. I have been enormously gifted not once, but twice, in this manner.
But what is truly the essence of mothering? It surely cannot be whittled down to the biological giving of birth, or the adoption and fostering thereof. When one’s perspective is widened, mothering can be seen everywhere…From the teacher who attends to the countless and multifarious needs of his or her students and extending themselves beyond the required hours, to that one who bequeaths a smile and helping hand just when it is so sorely needed. From an act of kindness free of any personal motive to all those who push foreword on those fronts that serve all…civil liberties, equitable healthcare, oh and yes…taking care and attempting to heal this gorgeous blue-green globe of ours turning in the heavens.
Countless further efforts that speak to caring for others in their day-to-day existence could be enumerated.
And, yes, mothering - especially in that earlier phase of maturation - is day to day. It’s an ongoing dedication and commitment to loving and nourishing, to protecting and serving, to supporting and encouraging.
If one pays attention, examples of these movements of love in all spheres of life, both tiny (Though no movement of love is really tiny.) and great, dazzle our days and nights with their light.
Look around. Listen. The bird singing outside your window is mothering. Resplendent nature is mothering. The heady scent of flowering fields is mothering. The ongoing steady and completely dependable movement of sun and moon is mothering. The cool breeze on your face is mothering.
A communication from a dear friend is mothering. Concern expressed for one’s well being is mothering.
This entire world, indeed, universe, is mothering you, me, all of us, in each moment. This entire universe holds each of us in her embrace, in each moment.
Allow yourself to be held, to be loved, to be mothered.
Allow for this.
Happy Mothers Day to all!
Annie Kiyonaga
May 8, 2022