I remember, to the “T”, the day and the moments when I was becoming a mother for the first time. I was excited, afraid, harnessing my brave, and was joyous all at the same time! The sense of a miracle happening, me being part of it. A sense that I had said yes to a natural phenomenon of being a thread in the fabric of the proliferation of life.
At the same time, I was afraid. I was afraid that I would not know how to be a mother. So many doubts. How do I take care of this coming precious life? How could I do justice for it? I’m going to ruin it. I didn’t think I had felt a mothering propensity in me in my youth. Yet, here I was, I had a baby ready to be birthed!
I will never forget the moment…the release, the wonderment, the exclamation from the midwife, “It’s a boy!” OMG!.. My first thought was “Oh no!” because I had been one of 4 sisters in my family. No boys! I had not thought about the question of the sex, but at that moment, I thought, How am I going to raise a BOY? I never had any brothers! The male psyche was still a mystery even though I had married one! In a millisecond I sensed the saving grace was that my husband was one of 3 sibling boys! Ah…. we can do this!
The moment this precious life was placed gently in my arms, the questions and doubt vanished. It was like I was in an alternate universe. I had a sense of love that I had never contemplated, imagined, or knew was possible. So much spaciousness. All in a moment.
There was also a sense of “arriving” on this earth for the first time. Like my soul had landed. It was like a continuation of being, manifested. The miracle of two partnering loving breaths of beings, my husband and I, now manifested in this one precious baby body breath in his purest, freshest state of form.
This natural miracle of birthing life arouses our truest qualities of goodness, love, compassion, and wisdom, even if we don’t recognize their fullness at the time. They show up. These qualities arise in both parents. Yet, there can still be a questioning of the unknown.
Is there a such thing as unconditional love? Is it something we desire to have or to receive? Is it something we strive to attain? Is it something we sense is there, somewhere? Is it illusive? Is it there and we are gradually making our way through the portals of life experience to arrive into the space of it, to receive fully, to be filled with and to share prolifically with others and all beings? Yes, yes, yes and yes!
Could this sense of unconditional love be the ultimate loving kindness, Mother Metta? Throughout history we have heard about, read about, seen, been with, maybe even been nurtured by and put our trust in many mother figures. Those who have rallied in this life to fully express their expansive, generous love, compassion, and courage in the face of whatever shows up.
There was Mary, the young rebel, humble and full of faith, mother of Jesus.
Mahapajapati Gotami, the mom who boldly insisted to the Buddha that she was worthy of ordination (Siddhartha’s adopted mother, maternal aunt)1st woman ordained into Buddhism.
Durga, in the Hindu tradition, “The fiercely compassionate divine feminine nature will help free us from the afflicted ego and return to the penetrating wisdom of divine love. Goddess Durga may not solve all the world’s problems at the moment, but …. she is the impenetrable place of calm within our hearts from which we can choose actions that promote harmony and unity rather than selfish harmful acts.”
The Great Mother, in pagan traditions, a reminder of the many roles a woman plays over a lifetime.
Yemaya, protective, wise, brave mother whole rules the seas and is a reminder of the fierce resilience and strength of women.
Sarah, wife of Abraham, the first Jewish matriarch. She is an example of a woman who learned how to search for joy in tough times.
These sacred mothers have much to teach us about the unstoppable force of women's spirituality. – sourced from Huff Post May 5, 2016
Mother Terese often referred to as a “living saint”. Awarded 1979 Nobel peace prize, sainted on September 4, 2016.
And…
“For many of us, our first taste of love came from our mother or from another caregiver. And for those of us who had this good fortune, this is how we learned what unconditional love and compassion is. Like the true affections of a great mother, our awareness is naturally loving, unconditionally compassionate, and nonjudgmental. Like a great mother, it stays with us always, no matter what happens in our lives.” - Tricycle, Zoe Logan Morris, May 7, 2022
“When you love someone, you have to offer that person the best you have. The best thing we can offer another person is our true presence.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
When we open our hearts, we see that love is all around. Situations and circumstances awaken our hearts and awareness even when we least expect it. Whether watching birds bringing nourishment to the nest, seeing a dog caringly licking her newborn pups, witnessing someone being of service to those in need, being of service ourselves, watching a grandpa taking the hand of a dear grandchild walking along a path, a grandma comforting her grandchild in pain or becoming a parent for the first or last time. There is love. These everyday scenarios and much more awaken a sense of love and caring. Trust it, be present for it. Our hearts melt and sometimes break open. We thrive in the sea of love. We are held in the loving arms of the great Mother Metta. Whether we know it or not, Mother Metta is here.
Comments