Living a Simple Abundant Life – May 2009

Create A Mothering Spirit Within Yourself!

As I watched my daughter drizzle glaze on a fresh batch Poppy Seed Muffins for my Mother’s Day brunch, I marveled at how far we’d come since our first Mother’s Day together. It was a double blessing in that we also celebrated her baptism that second Sunday of May 1984. I was awash with emotions as I held my infant because I was thrilled to at last be able to perform that simple, yet oh so significant, act. There was a time when I was afraid I’d never hear someone call me Mommie.

Mary and Tess on our 1st Mother's Day May 1984

Five years of questions and tests, interviews and forms, wondering and waiting, our infertility diagnosis was resolved with adoption. On April 10, 1984 my husband and I entered Catholic Charities as an anxious couple. We emerged with a beautiful baby girl. Our new little family fulfilled my life long dream.

If this May hasn’t brought you breakfast in bed, sweets, or a fragrant bouquet, it’s not too late to provide those things for yourself. While it is true we would like to receive them from others as an outward sign of their love, respect and appreciation for us, the reality is they don’t think to do it. You can satisfy your need to be comforted and nurtured by taking care of yourself. Start small because I know this is a hard concept for many women to grasp. We are not used to being on the receiving end of such gestures. Soak up the afternoon sun for 15 minutes before school gets out, rent a DVD and spend the afternoon lost in your favorite celluloid fantasy with a big bowl of popcorn, or perhpas buy yourself some flowers along with the weekly groceries.