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May 10, 2020: A Mother’s Love

Mother’s Day 2020, a time when many of us are separated from our families.  Sheltering at home requires safe distancing from loved ones, especially if they are elderly or have underlying health issues.  Technology, from the internet to phone calls, gives us a chance to connect, but it’s not the same as sharing the same space, giving and receiving hugs.  

My own mother has been gone for 15 years and a day doesn’t go by without thoughts of her  popping into my mind, her presence still as vital, her wisdom just as valuable.  I can’t connect with her like we used to with our daily phone calls, but her legacy of life lessons (https://dreamscapejewelry.com/may-12-2019-a-mothers-gift/) and unconditional love remains.  Although I miss her with all of my heart, I can wrap myself in the memory of these and be grateful for the mother I once had.  I can honestly say, my best qualities of compassion, integrity, positive outlook and tolerance were lessons I learned from her by example.

This year, as Mother’s Day approached, I reflected about the lessons we learn and pass on to our children. Last week, on social media, I reached out to ask the question “what were the most important lessons you learned from your mother?”

Without exception, the lessons were ones, like mine, that have stayed with us all of our lives. The responses ranged from advice on “always put your best face forward (i.e. do not head out the door without checking your makeup”) to the adage “if you don’t have anything kind to say, don’t say anything at all.” Invaluable lessons to guide us in our personal and every day lives. Our mothers were our first teachers, both in their actions as well as their words.

To celebrate mothers, both near and far, here are some quotes  I found to recognize the powerful role our mothers have on our lives.  

“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.”

—Oliver Wendell Holmes

“A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.”

—Honore de Balzac

“Mother: the most beautiful word on the lips of mankind.”

—Kahil Gibran

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.” —

Gail Tsukiyama

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.”

—Maya Angelou

“[Motherhood is] the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary—it’s an act of infinite optimism.”

—Gilda Radner

Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.

—Harriet Beecher Stowe

“I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.”

—Oprah Winfrey

All I am I owe to my mother.

—George Washington

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”

—Robert Browning

“Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.”

—Kate Winslet

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”

Jill Churchill

“A child’s first teacher is its mother.”

—Peng Liyuan

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”

—Unknown

“A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.”

—Honore de Balzac

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.”

—Henry Ward Beecher

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”

—Rudyard Kipling

“Sooner or later, we all quote our mothers.”

—Unknown

As the years pass, when I look in the mirror, I see more of my mom. I also hear her words pass my lips, and when I hug my grandchildren, I feel her love coursing through my veins.

On this Mother’s Day, I am grateful for the mothers in our lives; from my own family and friends, to all the women, who by the sheer virtue of raising a child, have inevitably changed our world. Stay healthy and safe!

Reflections: What lesson(s) did you learn from your mother that resonates with you today?