The Greatest Gift for Mothers

I think we can officially say that Spring has sprung in the Tetons and just in time for Mother’s Day! We at M4M are hopeful that you have been able to venture out into nature for some self-care and family time. It’s a crucial part of how we cultivate mindfulness and peace in our days, and we wish you many days basking in the warmth of the sun, deeply inhaling life-giving breath and planting your feet in the soil of our great Mother.

We’re well into our third year and while I won’t presume that you’ve noticed the shifts happening within our programming (it’s not like you’ve had anything else going on), I hope it’s evident that the mothers who founded and continue to guide M4M are working to provide sustainable and balanced programming in keeping with our mission to create curious connections and cultivate compassionate community for mothers. We know that providing a safe space to discuss issues that are relevant and often difficult to address is crucial as well, and we are so thankful that you’ve stuck with us while we figure out what that looks like in a pandemic and post-pandemic world.

One way, we’ve done that is through this email, Mindful Musings. It may seem a silly, insignificant thing to curate an email especially for moms, but it’s a small way we can tell you that we care enough to share the things we find fascinating, funny and fabulous.

After all, that’s what friends do. It’s one of the many ways we do life together.

It may not be widely known, but M4M is 100% volunteer run. We’ve been the fortunate recipients of grants that have helped fund childcare, a partnership with the Children's Museum, supplies, leadership coaching and our gorgeous website. But the woman-power behind our offerings comes from heart-shaped engines fueled by the love of a very special group of women who I would like to personally recognize and thank.

Haley Deming, Heather Devine and Meredith Adams among others have been the unsung heroes behind M4M. Besides weathering the covid storm, each of the women that lead M4M have had major life changes that would make one rethink the commitment to a cause like ours. But that has never stopped us, and I think that’s because we believe in a thing called Love.

That’s exactly why our theme for the rest of 2021 is COMPASSION. Through all the changes we’re encountering, compassion is one of the most important tools we can use to courageously move from surviving to thriving. And it starts with us. We’ve always believed that putting the oxygen mask on ourselves first, enables us to be there for those who need us in more effective ways.

May 5^th is World Maternal Mental Health Day and you can celebrate Mother’s Day early by gifting yourself a check-in on the state of your mental health, and ask for help if you need it - let's be honest most of us need it. Every single one of the mothers who lead M4M has asked for help in one form or fashion. As Karissa Aiken observed in our conversation last week, “2021 is the year of mental health!” Let’s remove the should and the shame from motherhood starting now!

If you take nothing else away from this message, let it be this. You are not alone; we are in this together.

In a world that has done just about everything possible to devalue and undermine the role of mothers, to instill self-doubt and powerlessness, to turn us against each other. We’re here to reclaim the incredibly sacred call of motherhood for the medicine it is. Each and every one of us is a healer whose love is actively saving the world.

In case no one has told you yet, the work you do to mother your children, partner, extended family, friends, community and most especially yourself is a powerful force for good, love and light in our world. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day and forget this important fact. So we’re here to remind you…

You are valued and what you do is valuable! Thank you and keep spreading that good good lovin!

SO. MUCH. LOVE.

Kirsten

P.S. Stay tuned for our next Community Conversation with Elizabeth Cheroutes on becoming a parent during a pandemic on Wednesday, May 19th!