With Mother’s Day on the horizon,
may we be mindful that there are women
who will be celebrating and giving thanks
while at the same time,
there will be women
who will be grieving and in pain.
All on the same day.


With Mother’s Day on the horizon,
I think of and pray for experiencing a wide range of emotions
… the women who never birthed a child
… the women who miscarried
… the women who were infertile (or their partner was)
… the women who had an abortion
… the women whose child was stillborn
… the women whose child had serious health issues
… the women whose child ran away and put into custodial care
… the women whose child was raped
… the women whose child was taken away at birth by authorities
… the women whose child was kidnapped, arrested, deported
… the women whose child died due to the pandemic, accident, overdose, illness, murder
… the women who began life as male, but knew they were not
… the women whose child lives in fear
… the women whose child became alienated from them and there is little or no communication
… the women whose adoptions fell through
… the women whose artificial insemination didn’t work
… the women whose surrogate changed her mind & kept the baby
… the women whose child is in prison
… the women whose child had a debilitating physical/mental disability
… the women whose child committed suicide
… the women who were surrogate mothers, carried the child to term, but who never became that child’s parent.
… the women in countries at war, trying to be strong for their children while separated from their partners, families, country and living with explosions, food shortages and the threat of rape, annihilation.
… all whose mothers have died


With Mother’s Day on the horizon, I think of, and pray for
those who are rejoicing because
… they gave birth to a healthy child
… their child had children and they became a grandmother
… they adopted a child
… each of us – for we all had a biological mother and were given life.


With Mother’s Day on the horizon, I think of and pray for
those who are mothers, but may not see their role
to be one of mothering:
foster moms, spiritual moms, mentor moms.


With Mother’s Day on the horizon,
I think of and pray for those who lost their mother
through death or alienation or deportation
and all who suffered abuse from their mother.

This year, with the reality that Roe v Wade was overturned in the United States,
I think and pray for the countless woman who will be forced to carry a child to term
… regardless of rape, incest, age, or their own death.


May acknowledgment of Mother’s Day,
be done with sensitivity, compassion and kindness
in churches
families
social media
and law courts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mother’s Day” (a secular celebration) in North America is not the same as “Mothering Sunday” which is a Christian celebration, celebrated on the 4th Sunday in Lent in the UK and Ireland since the 16th century.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© June Maffin
https://soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry
@soulistryjune.bsky.social