written by Amy Beller |  

“All I was doing was trying to get home from work.”
– Rosa Parks

The quote above is from the humble and gentle soul who we now think of as a major civil rights activist . She was the “mother” of the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, that launched the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks never thought of herself as a civil rights activist nor did she have any notion she would one day become a Civil Right’s icon – after all, she was just trying to get home. She lived her life from the perspective that just any other human being, she deserved respect and equality and she was determined to be treated fairly. Yet the world remembers this great woman much differently, as in a 2005 CNN telephone interview with former African-American US Representative, John Conyers, who said: “You treated her with deference because she was so quiet, so serene — just a very special person … There was only one Rosa Parks .”

American history has been forever altered by the contribution of women from all walks of life, in all manner of ways. We may not see that we are in the middle of things in our lives right now that are, or will be, cause to celebrate ourselves and each other, and we may fail to appreciate that women give birth to ideas and movements as well as babies.

Additionally, we may forget that the term “mother” can refer to any woman who impacts our lives in a nurturing, loving way, and not only be determined by the concept of one’s “ birth mother ”.

For many, “mother” is the one who gave birth to us, for others she is the woman we were raised by. For all of us we definitely can relate it to a female or females who touched our lives in some way, if even just for a short span of time. So I humbly ask that we now stop and take a moment and reflect on the woman or women in your lives who have touched our lives by:

• Nurturing us through the process of being helpless creatures to the powerful and successful beings we are today.
• Knowing how to make things “all better”.
• Acting as a guardian angel, protective and supportive.
• Sharing our pains and comforting us.
• Serving silently, with a smile on her face.
• Taking pride in all that we do and all that we are.
• Being our closest and dearest friend.
• Supporting us each step of the way.

Who is/are this/these woman/women in your life? What is her/their name(s)? But, remember, boomer ladies, the one lady you may forget to put on that list – you! Consider that no matter what has happened in your life, the good, the bad, the ugly – everything in-between, YOU were there with/for yourself every step of the way!

After giving thanks to the woman or women in your life who deserve accolades every day of the year for her or their loving support of you, promise to stop and remember and give thanks for all that you are and all that you do. My wish is, that in considering “Mother’s Day” in a new light, you feel additional cause to celeb...