Mothers’ Day is right around the corner.
And I don’t know a better way to celebrate motherhood and all the amazing, hardworking and inspirational mothers out there then by featuring our first guest post here at Mothers Central.
Nearly two months ago I asked you - our readers and NAMC members - to submit a guest post in the form of a letter to your children.
What would you want to tell you children in a letter? Guest post letters have been trickling in, and we are so happy to be able to introduce you to our first voice Ginger Garner.
Ginger is an individual NAMC member and is a featured blogger on our MC Voices Page. Her blogs, Breathing in this Life and Fit & Fearless Birth, advocate for better health care and holistic wellness for women and mothers. Along with her job as a mother to her three sons Michael, William and James, she is also an author and educator in transformational healing through holistic health care and yoga.
Without further ado, please help me in welcoming Ginger to the Mothers Central Blog.
Ginger’s three boys: Michael, William, and James
Dear Michael, William, and James,
If I pass any wisdom to you, I want it to be love. I love you greatly and pray, that in being loved immeasurably, you will love greatly too. Love will help you endure all kinds of loss. But know the spirit can never be lost. Faith in this hope will never betray you.
Death should be no more traumatic than taking off an old coat.
~ Bhagavad Gita
Owning a steady inner peace is not easy, but is worth tirelessly pursuing. Its pursuit is symbiotic with pursuit of the Greater Good, something bigger than your own desires. However, never mistake age for wisdom. I have in others, and ended up being belittled and my spirit left broken and diminished. A true mentor, no matter what their age, will make you feel that you can become great too.
Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.
~ Mark Twain
Realizing your dreams depends on that feeling of satisfaction inner peace brings when you realize you are doing what you are destined for. Many wise men and women have spoken of this idea, but before it can be realized, a few things must happen.
First, fight against inequities that oppress others, especially mothers, since they nurture the future of our great country. If you do not have a passion to fight for their rights, then you do not value your own.
Second, celebrate the beauty in diversity. Men and women are all created equal. Respect the differences in each other that give us the passion and creativity to give birth to new life, on all levels.
Love each other deeply… offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
~ St. Peter
Third, protect Mother Earth. Native American Cherokee blood runs in your veins, and the neighboring Iroquois Nation law says, “whatever we do in our deliberations we must consider the effect it will have on the next seven generations.”
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the tenets of an incorruptible moral foundation. If you evaluate your actions based on these qualities, you will never be led astray. Doing this will lead you down the road less traveled. Do not fear this path.
Speaking out for and doing what is right on this earth is never easy, and oftentimes, not popular. Pursue your passion with integrity, and remember no success can compensate for failure in the home.
Treat all God’s creatures, friend and foe, as fragile and delicate, because that is what we are. Physically, take care of body, mind, and spirit. Their strength is intertwined. Emotionally, cast aside the folly of peer pressure.
Wisdom sometimes also means knowing what to ignore.
~ William James
Intellectually, embody the humility of a perpetual student, found in all great leaders because they are always open to the better way. Relationally, you do not always have to “fix” problems. Speak less. Listen more.
He who hears not the music thinks the dancer mad.
~ African proverb
Energetically, you are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. Choose to bring the spirit of nonviolence into your surroundings, wherever you are. Spiritually, you will meet persons of diverse backgrounds on your journey. Do not judge them. Love them.
Meditate to find common ground with others.
Never stop searching for Truth.
Share in friends’ struggles (not just their triumphs). What we share can be a powerful, uniting force to create peace on this earth. A mind at peace, a mind focused on not harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.
Unknown love infinitely,
Mom
~
Leave a Comment. What part of Ginger’s letter most spoke to you? Leave us a comment to let us know!
Do you have something you’d like to tell your children? Mothers Central is excited to share more of our members’ letters to their children. Consider submitting your own letter! We will be highlighting our member letters throughout the summer months.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Ginger, this is a beautiful tribute to your three children. Thank you SO much for being our 1st guest post contributor ever here on Mothers Central and for sharing your voice with our readers!
Kate, thank you for sharing this beautiful letter. Ginger, your words are beyond inspiring. Thank you for the reminder of why I became a mom.
Claire, you should add your voice to a letter and submit it!
I love sharing others’ words and I am so excited to continue this on the Mothers Central Blog!
Thank you so much Claire and Kate for your comments on my letter. This was, by far, the most difficult post I’ve ever written.
Your words inspire me to keep writing on behalf of women and children everywhere.
Oh Wow Ginger…gosh which one spoke to me the most. I’d have to say this part,
“Speaking out for and doing what is right on this earth is never easy, and oftentimes, not popular.” Just tuned right into me. You have an angelic gift my friend. I know you’ve been an angel in my life unspokenly many. Many, times. Keep on keeping on raising the polarity of the world to a higher, uplifting vibration.
Thank you so much for reading the post and commenting on it Chrissy. A little voice inside me says keep writing for mothers, keep working to improve health care for mothers, keep trying to improve the world through our children - I can’t say enough how difficult it was to write this post. Many thanks to NAMC for asking me to write it and featuring it on such an auspicious weekend.
Ginger, Thank you for writing & sharing this beautiful piece. I’m going to print it out right now!
Thank you so much Sharon, for reading the post. It brings me joy to know you enjoyed it, and perhaps can use it in some way.
To all mothers AND caregivers - Happy Mothering Day!
I am not a mother, but I resonated with this letter immensely. I feel like it is not only a letter to Ginger’s children, but a letter to all of us, of all ages, all races, male or female. At first I thought, “I need to share this with all the mother’s in my life”; but then I thought, “I need to share this with all the father’s too.” And finally I thought, “No, I need to share this with everyone I know.” We all come from mothers. Thank you for this inspiring letter Ginger! I feel like it was written to me, to inspire me on my journey (even though I’m almost 40!) and share with everyone in my life!
Wow Shelly, what a fantastic testimony! I feel the same about the article - I do want the message to reach not just mothers, but everyone who caregives. The planet, our children - it is up to us to spread a message of compassionate tolerance and love.
Ginger my dearest daughter…as i read this letter your wrote to our grandchildren I’m proud to say you are my daughter, my grandchildren’s mother, and I thank you for all the wonderful roles yor play in their little lives. It’s challenging being a mom , a wife, having a career as an educator/etc, a missionary, a visionary… again thank you for just being a super person who cares not only for her children but for others. Making a difference in our society by helping is what it’s all about. Actually reading this letter is one of the best Mother’s Day presents a mom could ever ask for. I am so humbled to be you and your twin brothers mom…your dad and I are blessed beyond measure. I know and have known our children are our future weither it be your own or someone elses-they are most precious and priceless. I’m a firm beliver that it does take a community to raise a child and with this letter you written I know your children are blessed beyond measure to have awesome parents like you and Jeff. Yes, the greatest and most important job I’ve had is motherhood, none has ever been as fulfilling or more important. So thankful you have the same passion . Happy Mother’s Day to you.
Love and light to all moms and not just on Mother’s Day but everyday.
PS: the only thing better would be to tell you this in person. : ). Have a super Sunday-rest up from your week seminar.
Ginger, I have now read this letter 4x since yesterday and I am still absorbing from this letter to your 3 precious boys (and really, ultimately to ALL of us in this universe)…the beauty, the truth, the conviction, the responsibility, the wisdom, the humility, the gentleness, the power, and the LOVE that you have expressed. What a gift it is to know your higher calling and “tirelessly pursue the Greater Good, something bigger than your own desires.” This letter has challenged and inspired me. Thank you for sharing this and Happy Mother’s Day! Grace and Peace (and Rest after a long and wonderful week at PYTS), Veronica
I especially loved that LOVE was the obvious first message and that she weaved classic quotes from other wise people. It is always beneficial for children and people to be reminded or educated on their personal responsibility for not only their own energy and emotional intelligence but also for the greater good of the world/mother earth.