Eternal Identity of Mothers



I know I'm a little late in posting about Mother's Day, but honestly don't we women get more than one day to celebrate? I love my mother- she inspires me with her faith and strength. And I'm grateful for so many women who have "mothered" me over the years; the leaders and mentors, roommates and friends who have encouraged, inspired, corrected and loved me. This is for all of you. I read this talk by Sister Patricia Holland about womanhood and this quote rang so true.

“In a poignant exchange with God, Adam states that he will call the woman Eve. And why does he call her Eve? ‘Because she is the mother of all living.’…

 As I tenderly acknowledge the very real pain that many single women, or married women who have not borne children, feel about any discussion of motherhood, could we consider this one possibility of our eternal female identity--our unity in our diversity. Eve was given the identity of ‘the mother of all living’ years, decades, perhaps centuries before she ever bore a child. It would appear that her motherhood preceded her maternity just as surely as the perfection of the Garden preceded the struggles of mortality. I believe mother is one of those very carefully chosen words, one of those words rich with meaning after meaning after meaning. We must not, at all costs, let that word divide us. I believe with all my heart that it is first and foremost a statement about our nature, not a head count of our children.

I have only three children and have wept that I could not have eight. (Some of you may have eight and weep that you can't have three.) And I know that some of you without any have wept too... Some women give birth and raise children but never "mother" them. Others, whom I love with all my heart, "mother" all their lives but have never given birth. Thus we must understand that however we accomplish it, parenthood is the highest of callings, the holiest of assignments. And all of us are Eve's daughters, married or single, maternal or barren, every one of us.We are created in the image of God to become gods and goddesses. And we can provide something of that divine patter, that maternal prototype, for each other and for those who come after us. Whatever our circumstances, we can reach out, touch, hold, life and nurture..."

Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible women in my life!