There is a lot to celebrate at the moment. Spring is definitely on the list! Longer days, warmer weather, bright flowers! It seems to have been a long and wet winter (thanks cli9mate change) and now we can enjoy the sun again.
It’s also a time to celebrate women . Or perhaps more accurately to focus on opportunities for potential to be available to all. International Women’s Day is often celebrated during the whole month of March, and the theme is of giving to giving which in turn creates a gain for the giver.
Yesterday we celebrated Mothering Sunday – now usually called Mother’s Day. The classic role women have is to give birth to a new life and to protect and support until that new life is independent. In the Church of England it was a Sunday when girls who worked as servants were given the day off to see their mothers. The story goes that the tradition of giving flowers became popular as they walked through woods on their way home and picked violets to give to their mother.
We all come from a mother and we all have received mothering in some shape or form whether love from a mother or simply a kind word or action from a stranger – who could be male. I am reading Virginia Giuffre’s book at the moment and note that her book editor thought she was one of the kindest people – even though she hardly received any mothering herself.
We all nurture others even if we have no children ourselves. Whether it is caring for your own children and family, friends, clients we know it feels good to be connected with others.
Personally I feel the world could do with a lot more mothering at the moment. We all could benefit from time to nurture outselves.
Having spent many years helping others to write and feel better about their businesses I have also written poems about the difficulties of having a business. Often if a problem is noticed and shared it becomes easier to solve, so my poems in some way are all about noticing and helping others to feel better and overcome setbacks. The time taken to read or listen to these poems can be thought of as receiving a kind of mothering as they help you to slow down and relax for a while.
There is a warm invitation to join me on Friday 27th March at 1 pm on zoom when I will be reading some of my poems in conversation with Lucy McCarraher who has just received her MBE from Prince William at Winsor. She is a founder of Rethink Press and works tirelessly to support women to get their wisdom into the world and into print.
If you register below you will get the link information nearer the time and also can get the recording if you are not able to be present at the time.
I have released a poem occasionally here, so I hope you will want to find the time to join me!