There is a place, deeply within, that once opened, never closes….
The solo-ness transforms into soulfulness and a new world is perceived.
The nature of environments is life.
Perception of others, heightens awareness of place and space and time.
The quickening of the heartbeat,
prepares for the emerging consciousness of mother.
Mother of another offers the continuance of this opened place, inside….
Pure by nature.
When more than one heart beats together,
a warmth begins to build etheric foundations
Of unknown proportions.
And light-filled structures form, and life-giving circles open.
On the outside, there are bones and flesh and colours of every hue
On the inside, there is an eternal fire called love, that will never die.
On the outside, there are homes and beds and curtains on the windows.
On the inside, there are wellsprings of imaginations,
breezes of inspiration,
And a deep intuition that knows how to keep it all alive forever.
Mothering to me bears dignity, integrity and beauty.
It is ageless and always transforming.
It is a delicate dance of balance understanding one’s potential
and offering one’s gifts.
And a tenuous discernment and lifelong learning
in the realms of freedom and friendship.
Mothering to me is the sun burning in and radiating out of my heart,
as life-giving and life-offering.
It is the home of true interest.
Mothering to me is the awareness of the universal story and starry skies
that swirl within and around my mind,
Offering insight and thoughtfulness when life is too slow or too fast.
Mothering to me is the precious place
I’ve had to truly offer who I am in trust,
hoping it will be enough.
It is my life work…..
Perceiving and creating a life out of the warmth of the sun,
the wisdom of the stars and the purity of genuine interest.
In today’s world, it’s called a stay-at-home mom…..
how funny that sounds to me….
When one holds the inner and outer worlds,
the cosmos and the earthly worlds,
as points and poles of balance,
Right at the crossing point, there is a place,
once found, once perceived, once known,
that can never close.
It is called life and in that glorious place of living….
there is a never-ending world to be explored,
discovered, created, cared for, lived in……
The nature of life, from the inside out,
has no relationship to ownership or money.
It’s ancestry arises from the waters and trees of life.
The air we breathe is our shared spaces and places.
The rain that falls upon and around us,
fills us with nourishment and life-giving substance.
Within this glorious environment,
the stainglass windows to the stars are open,
The fires are always burning,
enwarming, enriching and enlivening.
The Earth opens her places and spaces
where life can grow and thrive and be shared.
What is mothering to me?
It is humble access to one of the most profound places on earth.
It is the greatest gift given and received, love and new life…
In the presence of a newborn child, one is never, ever the same…..
In the presence of all of life that is living and growing and sparkling,
we are privileged each and every day to ask the question:
How can I help? What can I offer? How can I love even more?
How can I help expand this living place of beauty and profundity?
For me, I found the fires of imagination
that soared in the delight of this gift of sharing life.
I found the winds of inspiration,
that filled my wings of flight and fancy,
and truly loved, and still love, every day
And I found the ponds of reflection,
that wondered daily, if what I had to offer was enough…..
And through the path of sorrows and joys of motherhood
I discovered, love is always enough,
when it is true and pure, when one’s heart quivers with delight
and when one’s mind is full of true compassion
love, interest and never-ending ideas…..
the joy and happiness of living is good and enough.
My greatest gift as a mother was the privilege I had
to enter into that precious place that crossed the threshold of time,
to meet, greet and deeply welcome three truly amazing human beings
into this beautiful world of life
and share it in the most unexpected, touching and profound ways.
Thank you for allowing me to be your mother,
and most of all
thank you for continuing to share the beauty of life
together.
Namaste my children.
Blessings my sons and daughter.
And here’s to sharing with you,
my truly heartfelt wishes that your lives are lived well and deep,
that your hearts, too, quiver with love of life and others,
and that no matter where we all are on this glorious Earth,
that you know deep inside there’s a place and a treasure,
where the fires of our family’s love burn brightly,
fed through the years with magical imaginations,
uplifting inspirations
with the never-ending intuition
that deeply understands
we are all connected
through this wellspring of life, love,
beauty, and living wisdom.
oxoxoxoxooxoxox
Thank you from your ever-present
and evolving mother,
Jill LaBelle Sophie Shouldice
Artist ~ Anne Marie Zilberman