Mothers Celebrate Mothers!
By Christine Blake, guest author
When the blessing of a child is brought into a home, women dedicate their whole selves to the needs, and sometimes wants, of the precious life in their care. This sounds like a saintly endeavor; however, to give fully of one’s self, one must maintain a self to give. Women need only remember who we are as women to be refreshed and renewed in the midst of our busy lives as mothers.
First and foremost, women are Creators. Monthly, our bodies cycle through the seasons of life and death, gathering new life force within us and shedding it like the earth each Autumn to ready for yet a new Spring. Because it is our very nature to create, we must seek creative outlets in our lives. Women create through all mediums: the home, culinary arts, painting, music, fabric, paper, crafts, clay, gardening, the health and formation of our body, event planning, etc. In order to find, define, and maintain the authentic self, this year let’s remember to set aside time a few days a week for creation.
It is easy to say we have no time or space for this, but there is always a way to accommodate our creativity. Find a place for it. Our children have playrooms: where is ours? It can be a small corner of a room, a table, a box of supplies tucked away into a cupboard. Whether you work in the home or at another location, you may find creative opportunities in the job itself. My mother creates the most beautiful table settings to go with each season. So, when a guest in her home, you are treated to a piece of artwork with each meal. A dear friend of mine who travels with work, found a travel size paint set to optimize the time she is alone on the road. Seek the hobby you enjoyed in your youth, when daylight was yours and time, endless. Just as we teach our children to learn through play, so must we. Have you played lately?
Secondly, women are Contemplatives. The benefits of a well rested and happy mother echo throughout the house like a child’s favorite song. Women have the ability to recharge in just a short moment of time each day, and without it, we are stressed and inundated with the sounds of the world. We need to step away from the songs of Sesame Street and listen to the music of our souls. Here is where we find our voice, our authentic self. These are the moments that help us to define who we are, where we are going, and what we would like to be.
Find contemplative time each day whether it is prayer, yoga, reading, meditation, listening to instrumental music or just sitting in silence. We are blessed, as our mountains provide the perfect setting for retreat. Take a hike while your spouse or a friend watches the kids, turn everything off in the house while a young child naps or an older child plays outside. I know many women who wake before the children (early, I know), and they find their prayer in the dawn and are then ready for the day as the family awakes. Contemplative time can be an hour or a moment. Silence speaks and we only need to turn our heads to hear it call. Seek your silence each day and the peace will carry you through the noise of our world.
And so, mothers, women, take this year to dedicate to yourself. Celebrate the woman you are and your family will find abundance in your love. Care for yourself and you shall be caring for your children. Thomas Merton once warned us, “We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being.” Let us make time for Being this year.
Christine Blake is a mother of two, 11 and 2, and has been a literature teacher for twelve years, a youth minister for several of those years, and has recently released her debut novel, Woman Redeemed. She holds a Masters of Cross-cultural Education from National University and a Bachelors of English from University of San Diego. Visit www.womanredeemednovel.com.