Waves, clouds, mountains. What do they have in common?

This holiday I flew to the beach and back home. Watching the waves roll in and shift around in the surf, up and down, smooth tops and pointy crests. It looked like mountain ranges made of water coming in and going out. Each range a little bit different.

Flying 38,000 feet up, the pure white cloud tops also formed a ‘mountain range’ …snowy looking pointed crests laid out in rows and rows across the clear blue sky.

Down beneath were the Smoky Mountains laid out in their own pattern of rounded brownish tops with contrasting deep valleys flowing in between.

I’d never thought of the pattern repeating itself through these various forms. It was beautiful!

All the ‘mountain ranges’ of earth, sky and sea…different yet similar.

Had you noticed this too?

Ahh, the holiday season is upon us again.

• What kind of memories will we remember and think on this year?
• What kind of memories shall we leave for our families, our children, our relatives?
• What kind of new and better memories can we make for our families, children and relatives?

Many already have wonderful memories to support them. Many need to add a new set of memories to their lives and ‘cancel’ out the old ones.

The good news is we can create, we can make new better memories to pass on and strengthen our families.

Let’s think of some: (to do with your family/friends/whoever/wherever you live)

• Bundle up and go watch the Christmas parade together
• Make an advent calendar and look forward to something new each day before Christmas
• Hang a wreath
• Paper fold and cut out snowflakes to hang or paste on the windows
• Make cards, sign a real name on them and give to the nursing homes or senior centers
• Organize a Christmas carol night for the above
• Decorate the mailbox
• Make homemade snickerdoodles
• Collect pinecones
• Start an amaryllis or paper white narcissus bulbs
• Put up a string of colored lights around a bush or door or in your window.
• Have some special holiday-ish decor for each child’s room (nothing fancy)
• Find pinecones, leaves, berries, nuts, greens, candles and arrange a different centerpiece for the table each day.
• Play holiday music at dinner.

These are just a few ideas. But pick something and make it an annual happening, something to look forward to each year.

No one can take the mother out of me. I will always be a mother.

Back in the day when it was unfashionable to have more than 1.5 children per family…to supposedly keep the population explosion down so the world would not run out of food (I’ll comment more on that in another post) I was growing a family which turned into 6 children…way over my allocated amount, and we heard all kinds of not so welcoming comments about us having that many kids!

All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother… to have and raise a fun-filled family doing many things together, creating lifelong friendships that continued on through future generations…as my family did for my brothers and me.

Many, many people, schools, articles, teachers and books took on the business of shaming, laying guilt on women who decided to have and raise a family.  (Which if they had no children, many of you might not be here reading this post!).

Yes, I was a mother by choice. You cannot take the mother out of me. I will not allow anyone to defame that image in me. I am proud of being a mother, proud to be one and would gladly have all 6 children again.

There! That needed to be said for someone. We were made to live and grow and have families for companionship, love, help and encouragement.

I will always carry that mother’s love in me wherever I go and give it out to others in need in my path. It is a non-stop, caring, compassionate, thinking about, watching out for the other person, thinking ahead for future needs type love. It began in earnest when I became a mother 🙂

There is no shame for any mother. Children need to have a mother.