Motherhood means something different to me these days. I used to define motherhood as someone who has given birth, or someone who has adopted children. However, my own personal journey has given me a few more insights. Motherhood begins with a choice. It is a choice to bring forth life, as well as a choice to nurture the life someone else has given. I made a choice to do the latter, and hopefully one day will do the former.
Motherhood is about tenacity. It is a job you never retire from. You never get a vacation, or a PTO day. The reward is often delayed. The routine is mundane. The laundry is endless. The volume is always high, but it is worth it.
I have a profound new respect for my own mother. Her tenacity is endless. Her prayers ceaseless. Her love limitless. Happy Mother's Day Mattie Mae, and to all the mothers everywhere. You are needed. You are appreciated. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are passionate. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are wise. You are blessed.
It's amazing how we take better care of our stuff than we do ourselves. We value our possessions more than we do people. We ignore warning signs in our lives, but acknowledge every check engine light in our cars. We need to reassess our lives. Every now and again we need to evaluate our lives. Are you on task with your personal goals? What does your financial health look like? Are you physically and spiritually healthy? Do you have any toxic relationships you need to purge? Do you have any malnourished relationships you need to cultivate? We need to make sure that we are functioning at our potential. We need to identify areas of need and personal stressors. Are you getting enough rest? Are you taking enough down time? Do you enjoy your life or do you just work? We all need to calibrate.
“I see that mankind still survives after all its attempts to destroy itself and so I surmise that it is the law of love that rules mankind.”- David Richo
There are several things in this quote that resonate with me. "Mankind still survives," speaks to our existence as a species. "Attempts to destroy itself," speaks to our violent nature. "Law of love," is the exception that ensures the survival of our species. Procreation is necessary to the survival of any species. Many of us were not conceived in love. We were conceived in confusion, fear, and doubt. This is just one of the reasons, we have a violent nature. Our environments were breeding grounds that instilled insecurity and hate towards ourselves and others. But, the exception to the rule was the "law of love." The law of love is the ability to love in spite of our innate nature and our environment. It is when you look at yourself in the mirror and surmise that you will be better than the previous generation. It is when you look at your neighborhood and make up your mind that you will be an asset to your community instead of a detriment. Wake up everyday and surmise that today will be better than yesterday. Surmise that you will be a better you today than you were yesterday.
Opposites attract. The north and south poles of a magnet attract each other similar to positive and negative electrical charges. Yin and Yang are opposites. However, yin and yang are often used to show how opposing forces are complementary of each other. The law of polarity states that all things under the universal law has an opposite. Good vs. Evil. Heaven vs. Hell. Rich vs. Poor. Love vs. Hate. Men vs. Women. It's always easy to see our differences. Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars. However, we were created to be complementary to one another. The dichotomy of love is that two people raised in two different households, with two different backgrounds choose to ignore their differences and celebrate their similarities.
John 15:13 (KJV) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
My grandfather was murdered saving the life of his boss during an armed robbery. It was a selfless act that was deemed heroic by the Times Picayune at the time. However, it left our family with a void no one could fill. My grandmother became a widow. My mother, aunt, and uncles lost their father. My cousins and I lost a grandfather. His death left ripples in our community, but love is sacrificial. Our loss was his gain. He earned a big jewel in his crown that day. Compassion is love in action.
As I celebrate Good Friday, I can't help but to think about Mary. Her son was murdered. She watched her son give his life for the redemption of sinners who deny his existence. The disciples lost their example, but love is sacrificial. Their loss was our gain. We gained a savior. The cross was God's love in action. He came and died for us. God's compassion is unmatched. However, it should be the motivation for us to have compassion and truly put our love in action.
Elysian Fields is an avenue in New Orleans named after the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. It is also a conception of the afterlife that was developed by the Greeks. Our view of heaven depends on our theology, or lack thereof. Some believe that heaven is a physical place. Others believe its a spiritual condition. Some people believe heaven can be found on Earth. I choose to believe that there is a place where we will see our loved ones again. I believe that there is more to us than just these temporal bodies. I believe that our souls are eternal.
There are so many things we experience in life that transcend this physical realm in which we exist. Love is a great example of one of the eternal things we experience in life. Love is eternal, and I believe that Elysian is filled with love. It is a place where we experience the love of our creator up close and personal without the distractions of this world. It is a place where pain ceases to exist. It is a place of peace and joy. It is a place of rest.
In the beginning, there was a thought. The thought grew into an idea. The idea grew into a concept. The concept grew into a plan. Now, imagine a seed. The seed is planted. The seed is watered. The seed grows. The seed turns into a tree. The tree produces more seed. The cycle starts over. Inception is the seed. It is the moment before anything happens. Inception is a place of creativity and possibility. It is the beginning. It is when you first notice him, or when he first notices you. It is the fleeting thought of that person that crosses your mind. It is a dream. Our dreams tell us something about our hopes and our fears. Every love story has an inception. What's yours?
