Along with Spring comes Mothers Day, and I want you to know that I honor the many ways different people experience Mother’s Day. Please be gentle with yourself as you experience this holiday if it is a difficult one for you. I wish for you to find nourishment from this poem (below) by Rev. Leah Ongiri (on the staff at the UU congregation in Portland), as she names the complexity of motherhood. This poem will also be read aloud during the service on Sunday. Remember you can join by Zoom if you can’t make it to the building.
With care, Rev. Alex
rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org
The Complexity of Motherhood
On Mother’s Day, let us mark how beautiful and complex it can be to mother and be mothered:
To those who have mothered, we thank you.
To those who rejoice in the work, the role, the presence of mothering and mothers, we celebrate with you.
To those who are in the thick of parenting children of any age, we appreciate you.
To those who experience loss through infertility, abortion, miscarriage, adoption or running away, we mourn with you.
To those who have lost their mothers, we grieve with you.
To those who have endured abuse at the hands of their mothers, we acknowledge you.
To those who experience pain at the marking of this day, we witness you.
To those who are single moms, grandmoms, stepmoms, foster moms, adoptive moms, mentor moms and spiritual moms, we need you.
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising, we anticipate with you.
May we reflect with gratitude on the wide spectrum of mothering that happens in our lives and in our communities.
By Leah Ongiri