In Honor of Mother’s Day - Reflections From Rez’s Mothers
In reflecting on life with her child and grandchildren, author and activist Dorothy Day had this to say:
The only answer in this life, to the loneliness we are all bound to feel, is community. The living together, working together, sharing together, loving God and loving our brother, and living close to him in community so we can show our love for Him.
For mothers, our children are the doorstep of our community. In ordinary times, not to mention the extraordinary time we are currently living in, life with children is full of joy, frustration, laughter, tedium, and so much more--often in a single day. But it is through life with our children, with all of its ups and downs, that we are granted a precious means for living out our vocation of creating loving community. And in mothering our children, we are given insight in humble measure the great love our Father must have for us as His children.
In the spirit of gathering our community, and of gaining insight into how our mothers are faring in this season, we asked some of our mothers at Rez to share about their experience during this challenging time. What comes across is that we feel the blessing of children all the more keenly when we are cut off from our larger community; these times are in some ways a treasure. But we also feel the loss of friends, playmates, and our Rez family, and long for the time when we can be together again.
Here is what our Rez mothers had to say in their own words:
I have loved the sense of having a slower pace of life and the space for unhurried walks, meals, and playtime. But, boy, have I missed playdates, walks with friends, and the opportunity to connect in person with other women. I’m looking forward to being able to sit and chat with a friend while our kiddos play again!
-Sarah M.
I have loved being a mom. It has been the greatest joy of my life. I have especially enjoyed teaching my daughter at home during this time period. Getting to see her learn new ideas, explore different topics, practice music, create art and then play outside afterwards has been so rewarding as a mom. I am so thankful for this moment in time!
- Nikki C.
High and Low of mothering during quarantine:
High: We worked hard to turn our backyard into a chill place to hang as a family.
Low: Hearing complaints about wishing friends could come swim and play.
- Angela M.
It’s been hard to not meet up with other moms and kids to meet our social needs, but seeing my two sons play more together and bond has almost been worth it.
- Brooke F.
Mothering during the COVID crisis has really made it clear that our family does much better together when we also have some time apart! Our combination of big personalities + little people + a small space + endless days = Yikes! But in seriousness, I am grateful for health and trying to lean into these challenges and open my heart to the growth work that God is doing in our family through this. I am confident we'll come out the other side better for it. And, spending time working on the perfect margarita recipe has been helpful too ;-).
- Lindsey K.
Momming during quarantine has me feeling a bit like a ping pong ball, at least during the school morning. Quarantine has meant homeschooling 7th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, and Pre-K...but let’s be real, Pre-K lessons chalk up to survival and independence training (without a watchful eye on them), and hopefully sounding the “mom alarm” when your younger toddler sister is doing something she shouldn't. It has also meant getting more creative with substitutions while cooking. Being able to spend more time together as a family and the joy of seeing new sibling pairings and relationships strengthen. Finding new rhythms of balance and health. Creating healthy appreciation and longing to experience worship as a gathered body once again.
- Michelle M.
Parenting during the quarantine has been interesting for us. Since we already homeschool, being together hasn’t been too much of a challenge. However, it has been surprising to see how much my kids are completely satisfied with staying home pretty much all the time! They aren’t chomping at the bit to go ANYWHERE! On a serious note, it’s been a challenging but rewarding reality talking with teens and processing this season.
- Tanya R.
There's something so beautiful about these "normal" moments we've been given. For us in our parenting journey, that's something we've never had. For example, we discovered dewberries on our now daily walks and picking them, cooking with them has become our favorite activity. What these girls can do at ages 2 and 3 is amazing to me. Amazing in its normality. A real gift of slowing down. - Morgan S.
On this extraordinary Mother’s Day, I invite our mothers to celebrate the joy of life with their children, and to appreciate how motherhood is shaping us for our ultimate vocation--to love others as Christ has loved us. I invite others to honor mothers for the important work they have been called to in God’s kingdom. And I am reminded, particularly in this time of isolation, that while I am deeply blessed to have my children as the doorstep of my community, in Christ my community is so much more.
Courtney Greene, Director of Ministry Operations