Rev. Lori on Mother’s and Mothering
A version of this reflection was originally published in the previous week’s Friday Flyer.
Hello Good People,
Mother's Day can be tricky for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. The essence of the day is the essence of our faith tradition. Love is at the center of our life. It brings us forth and nurtures us and sustains us. As we all know, it doesnt look the same for everyone. Mothers and mothering take many shapes, genders, gender expressions. In this community we mother each other in both the best and sometimes the not so best ways. It grows our community, our connection to one another, and to the wider world. It comes alive clearly when one of us suffers. What a week we had with that! With a member of our community lost and all suffering and yet all immediately stepping up to figure out how to help! It was painful, beautiful, overwhelming! With so much gratitude for the outcome we had! Love got us through. Love manifested in community! In family. The mother’s love, the mothering love overflowed!
I share a poem by George Cooper. A reminder that the mother of us, the Divine Source and Mother Earth and Love itself cradles us with all of creation. When we need strength, like we did this week, she was there for us. Never doubt that. Offer gratitude for that this week and always. A reminder in poetry.
Only One Mother by George Cooper
Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.
Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
My question for you today is, how have you been mothered this week, and how did you mother another? Okay 2 questions.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev Lori Whittemore
(she, her, hers)
Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco Biddeford