God be with the mother.
As she carried her child, may she carry her soul.
As her child was born, may she give birth and life and form to her own, higher truth.
As she nourished and protected her child,
may she nourish and protect her inner life and her independence.
For her soul shall be her most painful birth, her most difficult child,
and the dearest sister to her other children.
Amen
Leunig
Dear St Emilie’s Mums,
Just a quick note to remind you just how special each one of you are and that our children (and our world) really needs wonderful mothers like you!
Thank you so much for the love, forgiveness, patience, time, effort, wisdom, care and nurture you give to your children each and every day. While it is often a tiring and thankless role, what can sustain us and propel our efforts, is knowing that we are deeply loved by a God who really understands our needs.
Our work as mothers has the potential to really pave the foundation of our children’s whole life and because of this it is both a privilege and a responsibility. Each day, whether watching Mums wrestle children out of the car, carry them on their hip, wave at drive-through, push them in a pram, stop to have a hug, or walk beside them to their classroom, I am very much aware that many aspects of your lives lie hidden from view, and that you will each be dealing with your own challenges, sorrows, joys and triumphs. Just know that your efforts are so appreciated and that we thank you for doing your very best to raise children who are being taught, among other things, the enduring value of kindness, forgiveness, respect, compassion and service. In the final analysis, it is the values that we teach and model for our children that will sustain them well into the years ahead…
May this Mother’s Day fill your heart with gratitude and may you be gently wrapped in God’s great love, all the days of your life.
We especially pray for those mothers in our community who are doing it tough – financially; emotionally; physically or spiritually. May we, as sisters on the journey, be slow to judge and quick to help, to empathise and to hold them in our prayers.
As Leunig so perceptively suggests, amidst the busyness of life, may we continue to nurture our own selves, for it is in our own souls that we find the strength to be our best and most authentic selves.
All the very best and looking forward to simply sharing a cuppa and a chat on Friday x
