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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Mothers Rising

We are Women Rising.
Right here, right now, this is the age of the Mother.
Whether or not one has birthed a child, adopted a child, fostered a child…we, as women, are all Mothers of this Earth. 
We are all Mothers of this Country.
And, like any good mother, we must love and nurture our country back to health. Right here, right now
When a toddler is throwing a tantrum, the mother might want to raise her hand, or yell, but if she can take a deep breath and honor the Divine within her, she knows that child either needs time alone, or some attention. Perhaps, the child needs both. The Ultimate Mother allows her child space to feel those intense feelings, and then embraces and rocks her child. The Divine Mother kisses her child’s tear-soaked cheeks, and reminds the toddler, “I love you. I’m here, and I’ll love you forever.” It is through love that the child calms down.
When a troubled teen is speeding down the road, sneaking out of the house, doing things with people he shouldn’t be with, saying things he shouldn’t be saying, the mother might want to scream in his face. “I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!” She might want to take away his keys, ground him from seeing his friends, and speak to him in a condescending way to ensure he knows who the boss is. The Ultimate Mother creates strong boundaries, allows the teen to explore his feelings within safe parameters, and then embraces and rocks her teen. The Divine Mother kisses her teen’s cheeks, despite him brushing her off, insisting that she’s “gross” and embarrassing him. She kisses him anyway. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be,” she lovingly reminds her teen of the bedtime classic she used to read to him when he was younger.
American women, I’m speaking to you. Our country is our child. Our country is acting out. She has been defiant, rebellious, and irresponsible. Believe me when I say I want to shake this country into submission. Believe me when I say I think I know best, and need to impose my beliefs on this country FOR THE SAKE OF THE COUNTRY, just like a mother wants to impose her opinions on her child for the SAKE OF HER CHILD. Every annoying political post I’ve made has been rooted in love and deep concern for this country I love so much.
Every mother has her less-than-perfect moments. We have all disappointed our children, our spouses, and ultimately, ourselves. I know I have. I know I’m not the perfect mom. And I’m not the perfect American, and I’ve definitely gotten out of hand on social media. It seems like every time I log on, I am overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, concern, and sadness. I have often questioned deleting my account, but this voice inside thinks maybe I can make a difference, and I need to keep my account activated to maintain a platform. 
I read some reassuring words from my friend Amber Magnolia Hill’s account:
“We aren’t meant to take in this much bad news at once. The amount of devastating, terrifying headlines flying at us every hour since the Orange Fuhrer’s inauguration is completely overwhelming. A living nightmare. If you’re feeling anxious or hopeless, please know you’re not alone. This isn’t normal, and our nervous systems did not evolve to handle this much stress-this many threats to the wellbeing of ourselves and the people we love and the planet we all exist because of-at once.”
The feeling of solidarity, camaraderie, and support is getting me through this President’s first week. I know when I’ve had a rough week parenting, I lean on my spouse, my mom and mother-in-law, and my mama friends, because they know the struggle. They know what I’m going through, they feel my pain, and they can offer support. I am not deleting Facebook, even with this tense political climate, because it is my source of support. There are many of us out there (over 70% of this country, in fact) who do not approve of Donald Trump. And living in Texas, I sometimes feel like that’s not the case in my interactions with people on the daily. 
So I will stay on here. And because of that decision, I am going to have to change the way I internalize these feelings. 
I am going to try to be the best Mother to this country I can be. I will continue to love this country, even when She is pissing me off. I will kiss Her, rock Her, and love on Her, reminding Her that I love Her. I will not threaten to move to Canada because I would never threaten to walk out on my kids. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not done Mothering yet.
I will do this through peaceful demonstrations and my voice. I felt so uplifted by my community at our Women’s Sister March. And when I see or hear people chastising my efforts, I will let it go in one ear and out the other, just like I do when my toddler is whining. I will pick my battles. Healthcare for pre-existing conditions is a battle I am ready to fight. I will not stand idly by if a Muslim Registry is formed. I will not complacently watch more innocent black lives taken by the hands of police. I will remind this country that building a wall we can't afford is hateful and financially irresponsible. I will stand and fight for respect and equality for women, because I am raising two of them. I’m invested in these issues, and I will peacefully resist policy that endangers equal rights for every single American. 
This moment will be written about in history books. I believe we will look back and thank the Mothers. The Mothers are Rising. We will love America through this rough stretch, and we will make it out alive. 
XO,
L