“She brings wisdom about the interconnectedness of all species; she teaches us how to live together in this global vessel and helps us to reclaim the feminine in our lives.”
Maureen Murdock, The Heroine’s Journey
I did not grow up around babies. Motherhood didn’t come naturally to me, I was confounded by the utter helplessness of my first baby. Fortunately, my mother did grow up around a lot of babies. As the second eldest of twelve there was always a new baby to help take care of. In those early years of motherhood, my mother was by my side showing me how to do the practical, physical, emotional and intellectual care involved in raising a child. Thank you Mum for continuing to be by my side.
My life is rich with so many mothers who I love. Mothers from playgroup, primary school, high schools, dance mums, gym mums, neighbourhood mums, and friends who are mums. Because these women can empathise, because they have endured loss and heartbreak they can openheartedly give me compassionate companionship.Their collective wisdom and humour has helped me to grow up, comforted my sorrows, encouraged my ideas, and validated my still unfolding parenting progression. Thank you to my community of friends.
I have three daughters who have been privy to the highs and lows of my experiments in motherhood. As they have often told me they didn’t ask to be born, and as we mothers know children don’t come with an instruction manual, so I have sometimes got it right and sometimes got it catastrophically wrong. As the adult, responsible for them being in the world, I continue to learn to adapt to their changing needs, find new ways to communicate, and to let go of control.
Lola, the first born, taught me to be a mother: to accept responsibility; to be reliable; to love expansively.
Cina, the second born, taught me to be an ally: to be playful; to be present; to love joyfully.
Deedee, the third born, taught me Buddhist principles: that I knew nothing (beginner’s mind); to be humble, to love with compassionately.
My daughters, I thank you for these lessons and your love.
My mother told me that being a mother was the hardest thing a person could do. There’s truth in that, yet I have found being a mother to be truly evolutionary - to cultivate heart-centred values.
Thank you for the miracle of life.
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