Mother Love

On By theyogagoat
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
First Lesson

Lie back daughter, let your head 
be tipped back in the cup of my hand.
Gently, and I will hold you. Spread 
your arms wide, lie out on the stream
and look high at the gulls. A dead-
man's float is face down. You will dive
and swim soon enough where this tidewater
ebbs to the sea. Daughter, believe 
me, when you tire on the long thrash 
to your island, lie up, and survive.
As you float now, where I held you 
and let go, remember when fear
cramps your heart what I told you:
lie gently and wide to the light-year
stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you up.
~Phillip Booth

My mother has been gone for almost ten years now. In some ways, the loss is as fresh as if it were yesterday. In other ways, it feels like an ache that has been there even longer. The spectrum of grief is like that. It comes in waves. Some days are high tide, other days low.

One of the first jobs a mother has is to comfort her child. A baby responds to soothing from its mother like no other. As an adult, she is often the first person we call to get that sense of comfort when things aren’t going well. I had the feeling of being orphaned when my mother was gone. Who will I call? Who will love me as only she could?

Just as a child is taught to self-soothe with a security blanket or stuffed animal, motherless adults learn to do the same. If you find yourself in this orphan club, know that you are not alone in your pain. Remind yourself that however much time you had with your mother, you were absorbing her love and wisdom into every fiber of your being. She is as much a part of you as the air you breathe. On those low tide days, or when holidays like Mother’s Day come around where her absence is felt even more, remind yourself that she lives on in your heart. You embody her joy and delight. Her love for you could never die. So lie back and let the sea of maternal love hold you up.

"We are born of love, Love is our mother." Rumi

8 thoughts on “Mother Love”

  1. Juli Herring

    Same for a mommy without her daughter❤️ I lie on my back, and look for her in the sea of heaven, praying that she feels my love forermore!🦋

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  2. guitarbecky

    I am lucky enough to still have my mother with me. But as we age, my mind future thinks to this great loss that is inevitable. Truly breaks my heart already. I shall cherish the moments, months, years, and perhaps decades when we can still physically embrace.

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  3. lmerritt2coxnet

    Amy, Mother Love is wonderful, very comforting. There are times whenI am still sitting at the kitchen table talking with Mother. She made sure she was home from work in time to meet with me when I got home from school, especially high school. That love never fades. My love to you, Libby

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  4. psobr57

    Amy, hit right to my heart! Not just on Mother’s Day, but everyday Mom is missed!
    The other strong women who were motherly figures for me are also held dear & near. I thank God daily for any and all time I was privileged to have with Mom. Your writing is so special. Continue Sis! Happy Mother’s Day to you. You are wonderful!
    Much Love, Patty

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