the meaning of motherhood
I'm not going to attempt a Mother's Day post. But if you're looking for insight into what it means to be a mother, read these dazzling, heartfelt posts by Slouching Mom, Julia, Aurelia, and Lori. Each illuminates different aspects of motherhood and, together, they celebrate all mothers -- those who rejoice in their living children, those looking into the empty spaces where their lost children should be, those who yearn and hope for children, and those who wonder whether they truly count as mothers.
edited to add: Also take a look at this post by Wannabe Dad. It will break your heart.
7 comments:
Niobe, I hope you had a peaceful day, thinking of your children, since of course, you count as a mother too. ((Hugs))
Thank you, niobe, for including me.
I so hope for you that each Mother's Day is less painful than the last.
And I'll share with you what my mother always asks me about this "holiday":
Why are we such sheep in celebrating a holiday that was, by and large, fabricated by the greeting card industry for mercenary purposes?
Yep.
Thanks for the links. It wasn't really a very good day.
I'm so sorry, frumiousb.
Thanks for including me Niobe!
I also wanted to point out to anyone still checking this post out that Mother's Day was not created by the greeting card industry. It actually originated in the late 1800's as a peace movement, started by the poet Julia Howe (I think). Check out Kathryn's post at Ryn Tales for full details: http://ryntales.blogspot.com/
When you read its original intent it makes it a lot easier to understand how all women could get behind this particular day.
lori: you're right, but what my mother means is that the greeting card industry has turned around, really reshaped the meaning of the day until it's unrecognizable.
and that, i think, is a fair assessment.
Totally agree Slouching Mom! I just only learned a couple of years ago about the history of Mother's Day and so it still fascinates me. It would be nice to regain at least a little bit of its original intent.
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