Mother's Day every day...

Perhaps, I should have saved this reflection for Mother’s Day, but that writing muse of mine doesn’t follow the calendar.  And since we were gone yesterday, I'm celebrating my “Elephant of the Week” a day late.   

The concept of “mother” is a significant symbol in any culture; most creation myths include something of the “sacred feminine”.  Even today, we often refer to Mother Nature or Mother Earth.   And without a doubt the most celebrated woman in Christianity is the Mother of Jesus. Motherhood is an important part of all creation including the animal kingdom, including elephants.  

Many of the elephants in my collection are of mothers with babies.  The elephant I selected for my reflection this week is probably one of the first elephants I received. I know that I’ve had it a very long time.  It’s also one of my favorites.  And, yes of course, my mother gave it to me.

My first thoughts when looking at this mother are all centered upon one question.  Why, oh why, do her eyes look that way?

Was she up all night tending to her ill child, fussy child, bratty child?

Was she up all night drinking, carousing, partying, neglecting her maternal duties?

Was she crying because her partner left, gambled too much, or because someone she loved just died (elephants mourn their dead, you know.)

Or is she just perpetually “awake”, vigilant, fearful that someone, something will hurt her child---actually, this is probably more true of most mothers than not!

How old is that baby and what does it feel while wrapped beneath its mother’s trunk?

Is that embrace loving, protecting, smothering? How does the child feel? Loved?  Protected? Smothered?

One thing I can generalize beyond this statue of mother and baby elephant…behind every child there is a mother: absent, alive, dead, hovering, loving, anxious, frought with worry, frightened, funny, hopeful, caring, careless; perhaps none of the above, perhaps all of the above (with perhaps the exception of the dead mother, of course!) 

What do you think about when looking at this mama and baby?  What if what you see in the mother/baby is what you want to be? Or wish you had? Or loved about your mother? Or hated?  (Mom, I know you’re reading this, so don’t read too much into it!)  Does it make any difference?

What I glean from gazing at this mother/baby at this moment may not be what I’ll see tomorrow or next year or 20 years from now.  But two things I know for sure:  I love being a mother, with all the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with it.  And I love my mother.