There is no other way to say this. Motherhood belongs to all women as a sacred trust from God.  It is every woman’s reality, not just entrusted to a privileged few.  Even Eve was called “the mother of all living things” before she ever bore a child. Mother is the word that best describes the essence of who we are as women. It defines our identity, our divine nature and the gifts with which we have been endowed.  Women are the keepers of the balance of humanity, the conscience of nations, the flame and primal homemakers that light the hearth of homes, and rise up the next generations. There is strength in women that comes from within by the sacred trust, and with the advantages of modern times, women are fiercely powerful.

Who better than a woman will fight for the welfare of her child, or any child? And if we used our powers gained collectively from outside sources, we could insist that the children of the world no longer bear hunger; that the millions be given a basic education; that our children seek and know true and everlasting values; that punishment for child trafficking be seriously enacted; that the abduction and brutalization of children be addressed; that every child have shelter; that wars be diminished… and the list is endless. Yes, we are the homemakers of the world, the mothers of the children of the world, and the greatest power that lies within us is the ability to protect the primacy of our sacred mission and guard it with pride, making the welfare of our children our bottom line.

I am almost certain that there is no one who cannot name his or her grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, godmother or teacher, as his or her personal inspiration –good or bad, directing the course of the lives she touched.

To the women who cry with joy when they hold their baby in their arms for the first time and to the women who give birth to babies they will never see. To the women who gift babies to other families and to the women who adopt children. To the women who have milk stains on their dress and ketchup on their knees and to the women impeccably dressed in suits. To the women who turn their heads when they hear the word “mama,” even though their kids are nowhere near and to the women who make heads turn. To the women who sit up all night with a sick child, compassionately saying, “it’s ok, I’m here,” and to the women who sleep through the night. To the women who pray and to the women who ask for a prayer. To the women who yell at their kids and to the women who speak tenderly. To the women who read “Love You Forever” each night and to the women who read text books and documents in preparation for tomorrow’s challenges. To the women who hold a child’s hand for encouragement and to the women who let go to instill independence. To the women who teach children to tie shoelaces and to the women who use Velcro. To the women who suffer separation anxiety on the first day of kindergarten and to the women who suffer the same as their child leaves for college. To the women whose hearts miss a beat each time their child drives off in a car and to the women whose hearts miss two beats at each sight of a paramedic.  To the women who watch their child perform and proudly proclaim “that’s my child/grandchild.” To the women who bake cookies for a bake sale and to the women who don’t. To the women who car pool kids on the block and to the women who drive their one child.  To the women of soldiers and to the women soldiers. To the women who silently anguish for a child gone astray and to the women who crush remorselessly the odds of finding that child. To the women whose hearts ache for a child’s disappointments and to the women who boast their successes. To the women who’ve lost a child and to the women who share the burden of loss. To the women of victims of tragedies and shootings and to the women whose children are involved in the shootings. To the women who hug their children in relief for their safety and to the women who watch in horror, clinging to the last thread of hope of survival. To the women who do their share in law enforcement and to the women who bend the rules. To the women who lead and to those who follow. To the women who teach and to those who learn.  To women young, middle or aged, with or without child, working at home or out of the home, married, single or divorced, with money or without, who use their strength and their powers to become mothers of all living things, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.