Mama, you have taught me these things. You taught me that your love does not fade, it is not withdrawn, it is not conditional. You taught me that I am a valued being, that my presence here is welcomed. You taught me to discover my gifts, to hold them gently as they began to unfurl. When I tossed them aside, you taught me to quietly pick them up again, to invite them back in. You taught me to create – to be playful and free with music and dancing and dressing up, conjuring characters and unspooling my emotions onto the page. You taught me to value nurturing myself and others – how to cook and bake with love. You taught me how to keep the home fires burning.
These are the things I want to pass on, to my own child if the great mystery allows. But also to my stepdaughter, who I love relentlessly and freely. I hope she can feel it too, the special kind of motherly love that flows down through the generations, and from me to her. That she feels seen and heard and encouraged to be her truest self. That she feels nurtured and guided and affirmed. That she knows that her presence here is welcomed. That she has gifts to explore.
I hope she can feel it too, the special kind of motherly love that flows down through the generations, and from me to her. That she feels seen and heard and encouraged to be her truest self.
To all those who are feeling into the essence of mothering – whether you have your own children, or are exploring the worlds of fertility treatments or adoption or fostering, whether you simply find wild joy in the presence of children – Happy Mother’s Day.
To all the mothers that came before – Happy Mother’s Day.
Hannah Schenker is a freelance writer, editor and regular contributor to The Natural Parent Magazine. She lives with a touch of magic in Golden Bay, New Zealand.
