Happy Mother’s Day
A dear friend of mine recently notified me that her mom has just entered into hospice. What a week to get that news. Not that there is ever a good time, but it got me reflecting on mothers and daughters and all the things were passed down and what you will pass on.
I started my reflection with why do we call earth, “Mother Earth?”
We call her “Mother Earth” because the Earth is personified as a nurturing, life-giving mother figure who provides everything needed for survival, similar to how a mother nurtures and cares for her children. This idea has deep roots in many cultures and mythologies, such as the Greek goddess Gaia, who was considered the ancestral mother of all life on Earth. The Earth is seen as a provider of food, shelter, water, and life, symbolizing fertility, sustenance, and care-qualities traditionally associated with motherhood. This metaphor helps express the interconnectedness and dependence humans and all living beings have on the planet.
Does that sound familiar? Like maybe you and a lot of women you know giving so much of themselves to provide for the larger family / community? Yeah, we do a LOT. And for many women, it’s natural. Just how some of us were created. And if no one has applauded you lately about all that you contribute, we see you Queen! You deserve that crown!! And shout out Mother Earth. We appreciate you also!!
Now onto earthly mothers and daughters and the generations before us and after us. I thought about how my mom learned from the tribe of women who came before her in her life. She learned cooking, really really good cooking, and no recipe was ever written down. We were taught to measure with the lines on our fingers or amount of pinches. I always joke that I season until I hear my ancestors whisper “that’s enough child”. She learned work ethic, being in service to others, and she had a great ability to see what people were lacking in their lives and then find a way to meet that need. We always had strangers gathered around our supper tables. So many people loved “Miss Stella” and considered her a mother to them.
And all, or at least most, of that permeated down into me. I spoke on our FIERCE100 stage last year about not being able to have children of my own, but how God blessed me with the most amazing step son and I get to collect mijos and mijas (mijo and mija is a tender Spanish way of saying son and daughter) all the time. I now see that the same reason we always had strangers in our home growing up was my mom’s version of collecting mijos and mijas. I’m so glad I got that generational trait.
I then I looked around and noted that all of the the women I’m closest to in my life as friends and mentors also possess the qualities that I loved in my mother and that I see in myself. I know many of their mothers and see the amazing qualities that I admire in them as well. How amazing to be surrounded by the best of breed by choice. We can also choose to repair or refine any qualities that need positive adjustments. I’m so grateful we live in an era with accessible technology that allows us to do this and to be easily in touch with others on a similar journey.
We hope that is something you’ll see in the FIERCE community. Women who are best of breed, empowering and encouraging positive growth and refinement in all we encounter daily.
To all the moms and future moms and just badass women taking care of business on the daily, I hope you feel loved and celebrated today and take a little time just for you today. And when you wake tomorrow, continue to pass it down and along.
Happy Mother’s Day
xo, RC
