Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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A Mother’s Day thank you

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Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

My first Mother’s Day present this year is a cyclamen plant in full flower, a gift from the parents of my beautiful newest goddaughter. How could they know I was wishing for a plant for my kitchen to make our rental house more of a home? God must have whispered in their ears and they listened.

This Mother’s Day, though I am especially happy to be enjoying the day with my husband and five lovely children this year, I am thinking of those women who are not biological mothers but nevertheless genius at mothering. They also deserve a special ‘thank you’ on Mother’s Day, at least for all the love and support they give to the children in their lives.

We are blessed to have friends, sisters and aunties, who are either single, married, or religious, with no children of their own but who bless us with a special kind of solicitude which is essentially motherly.

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They provide meals, babysitting, cleaning services, gifts, outings for the children, a sympathetic ear for us parents, you name it they do it – but basically what they give us is lots of their time, prayers and love. We are so grateful for this! As a mum I benefit from this kind of mothering support myself.

Our families and communities benefit so much from the feminine genius of women who are either waiting upon God for children, or whose life somehow precludes them from having their own children. Think of early childhood and primary educators, most of them women, who help us to raise our children. Many don’t have their own children, but are devoted to ours.

If ever these women feel that their special gifts and talents which are of a maternal character have been wasted, believe me, it’s not so! We’re so grateful for them, and for you!

St Edith Stein, and later Blessed John Paul II, spoke of the feminine genius of all women, including the way that women give of themselves to the nurturing and support of others.

Anyone who’s ever had a favourite aunt, female teacher, or godmother knows that a woman can love and be loved as much as a mother even without biological children of her own.

God bless all women this Mother’s Day.

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