WINSTON WEEKLY[1]

Vol. 2, No. 19

May 12, 2024

MOTHERHOOD MUSINGS

Mother’s Day is full of mixed emotions for me, and perhaps for many of you. Aside from losing my mother more than 13 years ago, my children are now adults. I miss seeing my children hand me a dandelion they carefully selected. I miss seeing them experience a rainstorm like only children can. I miss seeing them with their stuffed animals lined up and carrying on conversations only they understood. I miss seeing them come into the kitchen in their footed pajamas, their favorite blanket in tow.

Much as I have mixed emotions about today and what was or what could have been, I am mindful of the fact that motherhood is not for everyone. Or that it is not possible for everyone. Jacklyn Clemente Koppe shared some of these perspectives in the May 13, 2022 article, I Love Being a Mother, But It’s Not for Everyone – And That’s Okay.” www.tatlerasia.com. My husband and I had our own struggles with infertility. We have family members, friends, and colleagues who suffered miscarriages. I had a colleague whose child was stillborn. I have friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who decided not to have children.

I am also mindful of the fact that there are those whose memories of motherhood remain cloaked in darkness. From the mothers unable to cope with the financial strain or the daily drain of parenting to those without the tools to know the harm of their hand or their words, their legacies can impact daily life in unimaginable ways.

Whether you celebrate today, hunker down today, or prefer that it be a day like any other, be thoughtful about your own emotions and those of others. As the Indigenous proverb says, “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Consider what it might be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. Perhaps start by simply looking at someone else’s shoes. Are they in flip flops, boots, tennis shoes, or something else? What thoughts come to mind? Can you or should you lend a hand?

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[1] Copyright May 12, 2024. Please feel free to share with the appropriate attribute. Winston Weekly is a weekly Sunday newsletter by Alysen Bayles, Founder of Bayles and Bruce. “Learn, live, love, read.” Alysen’s views are her own.