Something about this time of year has always made me think it is the beginning of a new one.
Maybe it’s the approach of fall that gives us a chance to shed the old and start anew. I get the itch to reorganize, purge and refresh.
Maybe it’s because my birthday always felt like the end of a season, a closing of the past. The summer is always so much fun and all the joys that come with it refresh my soul to reach for new heights.
Perhaps it’s the hustle and bustle that comes with the kids (or myself when I was younger) returning to school and reconnecting with old friends.
Whatever it is, each year around this time I set my goals, my intentions, and I feel inspired for new beginnings. It seems appropriate to ponder my labors of love this Labor Day weekend.
I absolutely love sharing my reflections on the influence of Mother Mary in this world. Through writing and speaking, I know I am creating a powerful movement behind the words of Jesus, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
What if You Were Jesus’ Mother?
It is such an intriguing concept – if you were Mother Mary, how would you have parented Jesus Christ? What would you have done for him? Would you have doubted his abilities? Would you have tried to direct his love or his interests to only certain people, places or things? Would you have sheltered him or shown him to the world? What would you feed him? How would you clothe him? What would be your most important intention as a parent?
Now I spent two full days last week shopping for my children’s school clothes, shoes and supplies and I can fully admit, I did not treat my children as Mother Mary would have treated Jesus. If like Mary, I knew my child held the spirit of God within him, it would not matter one bit what kind of clothes he wore. Brand named or store brand, the only thing that would matter is what is inside his heart. And he would know that too.
But I skipped that lesson from Mary during my shopping experience and spent hours making sure none of my children were wearing the same jeans with the holes in the knees this year. And I wanted to make sure they felt confident in the way they presented themselves because as my youngest says , “No Mom, I don’t want to be THAT guy who wears….”
It got me to thinking…How did Mother Mary instill confidence in Jesus’ heart to not be concerned with other people’s view of him? How did she teach him what is in his heart matters more than what he is wearing? How did she help him to know to put his energy into the people who desired to receive his love rather than trying to persuade people who weren’t ready to hear his message? How would Mary have prepared her son for school?
Follow Your Heart
I think most importantly, Mary taught Jesus to follow his heart – his inner knowing, his intuition. We all have an inner intuition – it is God’s voice leading us, telling us where there is danger and where there is joy. It’s how God guides us to the best path. When we find God and follow him, we have no need to worry, no need for fear and we can be confident in knowing God is always with us and we are making the choices with the best outcomes possible.
It wouldn’t work to teach my children to follow their heart by simply telling them, for it is experience that plants faith. The opportunity to experience the feeling of joy in your heart when you have made a choice divinely guided by God is so powerful, it is unforgetable. Following our heart always feels good because it brings joy ~ it is allowing love to flow through us.
If only I had asked, “Are you wearing those clothes because they make you feel good or do you want to wear them because you think others will view you differently with them on?” I would buy clothes that made them feel good, but I would think twice if they only wanted them because they THOUGHT the clothes would make them feel more worthy.
You Are Responsible
Mary also taught Jesus that every thought, word and action he gives to the world has influence. We are all one – connected to one another. Mary in her humanness would be the example of how when she gives love to the world, everyone feels good. When she feels anger, hate, or disrespect, everyone feels bad.
I do the same although my choices to feel anger or disappointment seem to be contagious rather than inspiration for making better choices.
It is important that we are allowed to feel all the feelings we hold inside us because again, if we are conscious of our inner voice, we know that our feelings are our guidance system. Yet we do have a choice when it comes to our perspectives.
Are we seeing the world in the way God sees it? Esther Hicks says when we feel negative emotions such as anger, hurt or despair, it is often an indicator of how different our view of the situation is from God’s.
Like Mary, we can teach our children responsibility for their happiness ~ I tell mine, it is the only thing God cannot give to us because it is a matter of choice.
Let Their Light Shine
So what if your child was just like Jesus? What if they were created for the purpose of loving everyone unconditionally? What if God’s intention for them is to follow their joy and offer the world a special gift? How would you parent him or her? What would you try to teach them? What could you learn from them?
Mother Mary is like so many parents – much of her work is behind the scenes, doing all the small things that no one considers important but in the end, is the most influential of all. Mother Mary nurtured the love of God, (and it is expressed in each of our children – the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters) so that Jesus could let his light shine on the world.
Renewed Intentions
So in this season of new beginnings, as I am looking at my role in perpetuating a movement to get parents to think about loving their children as Mary loved Jesus, I want to spread these ideas through as many venues as possible.
- I will continue to post blogs now that I had a respite over summer to enjoy my children. If something pulls at your heart, please share it and spread the message. Our children are so precious, they all deserve to be treated as we would treat Jesus.
- I will reach out to women’s groups and teach the concepts of loving without fear and offering unconditional love to our children. Our society is driven by fear and it puts so much pressure on being the “best parents,” I think we often take those conditions of our own perceived “success” as a parent and put them on our children in a way that makes our love seem very conditional.
- I will continue to work on creating my parenting course that will highlight tools and methods that Mother Mary used to encourage the light of Jesus to shine. Look for this course to be completed in November – in time for the Advent season!
- And finally, part of my labor of love has recently been writing a chapter in the book, “Ready, Set Live! Empowering Strategies for an Enlightened Life.” I am so honored to be a part of this work with some incredible people who have stories of overcoming obstacles and challenges far greater than my own and yet made conscious choices to move beyond them and be happy. The book will be released on Tuesday, September 8th (The Feast Day of Mother Mary’s Birth)~ if you are looking for strategies to move beyond your present state, it is a must read.
Look for an email if you subscribe to my blog or a post on Tuesday with a link to purchase the book and for a limited time you will also receive special gifts offered to anyone who purchases it.
All of the profits from the book will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.
May you have a wonderful Labor Day! May you always labor with love!