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Motivation Mondays: Mother’s Day

02/05/2016
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“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” Barbara Kingsolver

Motivation Mondays: Mother's Day - A Collage of Mothers

Motivation Mondays: Mother’s Day – A Collage of Mothers

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Abraham Lincoln
A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. Honore de Balzac
May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers, with what pretty music Shall we charm the hours? Wilt thou have pipe and reed, Blown in the open mead? Or to the lute give heed In the green bowers. Lord Edward Thurlow

How Did Your Mom Inspire/Motivate you? With May Day which is often celebrated as the beginning of Spring, behind us, and Mother’s Day arriving on Sunday, the 8th, we have a lot to be grateful for and plenty to keep us motivated for the rest of the year. Being a mother is hard work and it doesn’t matter if you have your own, adopted a few or claimed your little cousins as your kids, we all know that Moms motivate us to be our best, as much as we motivate them to stay on top of the daily grind. In every culture around the world, the role of the mother is revered and maintaining the family lineage and traditions often rests on the shoulders of the women in the household. When we look at our maternal ties and think of how our grandmothers and mothers ran their households, it becomes quite clear that mothers play a critical role in keeping the family and the subsequent generations tied to each other.

As a child, I was fortunate to have a few “mother figures” around me; from Mommy Bates in Essex, to my own mother, grandmothers, and all the great women who added their wisdom to my life, I learned how much work it takes to manage a household and keep kids fed, everyone loved, and endless bills paid. My Mom was an active mom who also had a side business; she was always running around attending to her clients, managing the staff at home who managed us when we came back from school. It was not an easy job at all and there were challenges that did arise over time. I still admire my mom’s willingness to take on the enormous challenges that came her way, and part of her can-do spirit has stayed with me and it inspires me whenever the going gets tough. What are your memories of childhood days with your mom?

A Story: Advice A Mother Would Give
A little bear cub was confused about how to walk. “What do I do first?” he asked his mother. “Do I start with my right foot or my left? Or both front feet and then my back feet? Or do I move both feet on one side and then both feet on the other?”
His mother answered, “Just quit thinking and start walking.”

 

“It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?” Mahatma Gandhi

Motivation Mondays: Mother's Day - A Collage of Mothers

Motivation Mondays: Mother’s Day – A Collage of Mothers

Motivation Mondays: Mother's Day - A Collage of Mothers

Motivation Mondays: Mother’s Day – A Collage of Mothers

Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life. Sophocles
Motherhood is… difficult and… rewarding. Gloria Estefan
Another May new buds and flowers shall bring: Ah! why has happiness no second Spring? Charlotte Smith

What does Motherhood mean to you? As a mother, I’ve grown to appreciate the hard work involved in mothering, and the fact that even with the best effort, we can’t predict how our kids will turn out. We offer them the best of ourselves, warts and all, and then we encourage them to find their own path and soar. Motherhood is a precious time in the life of anyone who takes on the challenge to raise children. I say it this way because I believe that motherhood is not only the reserve of women who carry a baby to term. It includes women from all walks of life who have served in a motherly role as adopted parents, surrogate moms and the wide range of mother figures who have walked the many passages of our lives.

As a young girl, I had wonderful Aunts who taught me a lot about girlhood and relationships, and I female cousins and relatives, on both sides of the family, who were terrific guides and taught me much about my family history and culture.  It’s quite easy to forget that mothering can come from more than one source in a household and if, like me, you come from a large extended family, you become a beneficiary of all those family ties vying to show you some family love. So, when I think of the term Motherhood, a lot of names and faces dance before my eyes. What about you? Happy Mother’s Day!

A Story: Advice A Mother Would Give
“Mother, what is water?” asked the baby fish of the mother fish.
“Water is what you swim in. Water is what you’re mostly made of.”
“But where is it?”
“All around you.”
“But I can’t see it,” said the baby.
“Of course you can.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.”
“And I’m made of water?”
“Mostly.”
“And after I die..?”
“You go back to being water,” said the mother.

 

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for April and May 2016 are:
April
04/04 –  Youth – 6 Intn’l Day of Sport, 7 World Health Day
04/11 –  Siblings Day
04/18 – Patriot’s Day,  Tax Day, 22 Earth Day
04/25 – Passover, 27 Administrative Professionals Day,  30 Jazz Day

May 
05/02 – 1 May Day, 4 Star Wars Day, 5 Cinco de Mayo, 6 National Teacher’s Day, 8 Mother’s Day, 8 VE Day, WW II
05/09 – 13 Friday the 13th
05/16 – 20 Armed Forces Day
05/23 – 24 Victoria Day (Canada)
05/30 – 30 Memorial Day

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2016?

PostaDayPostaWeekCollage1
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.

 

BHWritingLab_052016_post_PROMPT1A

 

— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab

 

More Below!

“A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.” Honore de Balzac

Motivation Mondays: Mother's Day - A Collage of Mothers

Motivation Mondays: Mother’s Day – A Collage of Mothers

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson
A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. Victor Hugo
Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws. Barbara Kingsolver

 

What are Your Mother’s Day Plans? This Mother’s Day, I will celebrate all the Moms in my life and spend time with my kids sharing stories and creating new memories that I hope will inspire them down the road too. Some moms will probably be working on that day and others might be attending to ailing parents as caregivers. No matter what role we play at home, we must take a moment to honor ourselves too and acknowledge that we are doing the best job we know how. Motherhood is not a popularity contest and, at the end of the day, what folks and family will remember is how much care and love we shared.

Can You count the ways Your Mom motivates You?  Many women juggle multiple demands in their households and, to the untrained eye, it might seem magical or even easy to watch how many mothers run their households, some even on shoestring budgets. But, around the world, Moms perform endless chores and time consuming tasks to accomplish their household goals daily. For this Mother’s Day, I want to give thanks and praise to all the Moms in the world; they come in all shapes and sizes, do the heavy lifting as chief executives of their homes, and carry on even when their efforts aren’t always applauded. Wishing all of you a very happy, healthy and productive Mother’s Day! Do celebrate it. You’ve earned it.

A Story: Advice A Mother Would Give
Once three scholars on the way to the civil service examination stopped to buy refreshments from a woman who sold pastries by the wayside. One man was calm and quiet, while the other two argued over literature. The woman asked where they were going. The latter two told her they were going to take the civil service examination.
She said, “You two scholars won’t pass the exam: that other man will.” The two men swore at her and left. When the results of the examination turned out as the woman had predicted, the two scholars who had failed went back to find out how she had known they would not pass, while the third man would.
They asked her if she knew physiognomy. “No,” she said, “all I know is that when a pastry is thoroughly cooked, it sits there quietly, but before it’s finished it keeps on making noise.”

Source: Any Zen Antics stories via Goodweb.cn

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Positive Motivation Tip: Our mothers can help us achieve our goals and unimaginable dreams … Celebrate yours!

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM
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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Mother’s Day via Pixabay

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

 

from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
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