Posts by Pat:
We’re mothers to our own experience!
Food for Thought
I find this story enlightening: two brothers with alcoholic parents were interviewed and asked to what did they attribute their station in life.
The first man was an alcoholic, living on the streets, who answered “What do you expect with parents like mine?”
The second was a successful business man, active in his community, with a loving family. He answered “What do you expect with parents like mine?”
They had perceived their experiences differently, using them as an excuse or a lesson, and thus created their own lives as a result of that choice.
As each of us is currently an adult, we have undoubtedly forfeited using our parents (or lack of) as…
- an excuse for our situation,
- a reason for our problems,
- a cause of our poor self esteem.
Whether or not we feel we were blessed by our experiences with our mother, we can still be the creator, sustainer, nurturer to ourselves. It’s our choice.
And now for some definite answers on this special Mother’s Day from some 2nd graders’ responses to the questions below:
Who’s the boss at your house? Mom, you can tell by room inspections. She sees the stuff under the bed.”
Why did God make mothers? “She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.”
What one thing would you change about her? “I’d like her to get rid of those invisible eyes in the back of her head.”
What thoughts and feelings come up for you as you enjoy this opportunity to reflect on the meaning of “mothering”?
Time for some spring cleaning?
While we’re cleaning out closets and garages, we can think about this: spring house cleaning, while worth the effort, will only last for a season. But personal, inner, spring cleaning can have a long-lasting influence. So we don’t just want to dust behind those books on the bookshelves. Let’s give ourselves the gift of taking […]
Need to be grounded?
“I can’t. I’m grounded!” Does that message ring a bell with any of the rest of you? When I was growing up, getting grounded meant that I wasn’t allowed to do the things that I valued most at the time. These days, I often feel called to ground myself when I feel like I need […]
A choice in the race?
Like it or not, the race is on. It doesn’t matter whether the person belongs to “our” party or not. If we thought the mud was slinging before today, just wait. It’s only going to get worse. Why? Because that’s the nature of politics in America, particularly for a presidential race. But this post isn’t […]
Do not blame the lettuce!
When you plant lettuce, don’t blame the lettuce if it doesn’t grow well. Look into the reasons why it’s not doing well! Maybe it needs fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You don’t blame the lettuce! (The well-known spiritual teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh is credited with this lesson!) Yet when we have problems with […]
Will you eat that frog?
The frog in this Mark Twain quote has been long adopted by the business community and by productivity advocates to represent the one task or activity you are least looking forward to completing over the course of your day. The idea is that once the unappealing task is done, the rest of the day is […]
2 sides to every coin…
Since I’ve started back to Tai Chi, this symbol has renewed significance for me. Reminds me that life/ events/ people are NOT just black or white, but an integration of opposites. And I remember the line “can’t have one without the other” from that song about love and marriage! Coins have a front and back…can’t […]
More chocolate?
We’re halfway between two major reasons/excuses for chocolate! Yep…Valentine’s Day and Easter. When my sister and I had our chocolate store in Seattle, Valentine’s Day was our favorite holiday! We are still chocoholics and any excuse for chocolate works for us. And since chocolate doesn’t keep… it’s important to watch for those chocolate sales after […]
2 things to know…
ONE: we are each capable of more than we think. TWO: AND it always will take more work than we think. I know the first one because this has been true of everyone I’ve ever met (and it’s true of me too!) We are poor judges of what we are capable of and each of […]
The power of just one word…
Sometimes it is critical to add words to our communication – specifically to add one word to a statement or question which dramtically changes its impact and import. For example…the word “yet.” Think how often we say things relating to what we have not achieved or where things are not as we want them to […]