A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

The Glue of Society

Johann Christoph Arnold
for Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009

Thank God for mothers! Mother’s Day is an opportunity to make life special
for them. It is a chance to celebrate family. I thank God for my mother,
who died some years ago. There is one thing I regret: for too many years I
did not appreciate her enough and took her for granted. She was always
there for us. I thank God for my wife. We have been married for
forty-three years and have eight children. God has blessed us with
forty-one grandchildren.

Mothers are the backbone of our society and the glue that holds a family
together-their work is vital but often unseen. We all need to show greater
appreciation for them. I pity the man who does not have a good wife to
take care of him.

My favorite Hasidic saying goes, “God could not be everywhere at once, so
he gave each child a mother!” Mothers should be proud to be mothers. It is
a God-given task and privilege. Actually there is a mother’s heart in
every woman, whether married or single. In the past, motherhood was
regarded as the noblest calling of a woman. Today it is too often pushed
aside by more “desirable” occupations such as careers, and seen as an
inconvenience or even an embarrassment.

A true mother thinks day and night about the well-being of her children,
and is the first to praise, comfort and protect them. She is willing to
sacrifice her life for them. The pains of pregnancy and childbirth are
borne by the mother, and she continues to carry the child in her heart her
whole life.

Motherhood is a mystery. It is something truly divine for which every
human heart longs. This is why mothers provide the most powerful influence
on a child’s life, and are the most important role models for positive
change in our society. When anyone is in trouble, or knows that they are
dying, the first person they think of is their mother. When children start
going wrong ways a mother’s prayer is powerful. Mothers remind us that
there is a loving God above us who will take good care of everyone,
especially children. Whenever a tragedy occurs-no matter where in the
world this happens-you will always find mothers both weeping for the dead
and bringing comfort and security to the living.

As we seek to improve the education of our children, let us start by
taking better care of our mothers. This will enable them to provide better
homes for all of us, and ensure the survival of our society. Never before
in our history have so many men abandoned the children they fathered.
Fathers are vanishing from their children’s lives, not just physically,
but legally as well. Therefore, congratulations to all single mothers and
grandmothers who do their best to raise children on their own. They often
struggle under the most difficult circumstances. They are the real heroes
of the family-and not just on Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!

[ Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor and author of ten books, which are
available at www.plough.com .]

By Laura Berman Fortgang
Author of The Little Book on Meaning: Why We Crave It, How We Create It

Human beings have often engaged in the search for meaning, but today’s economic downturn has brought the subject to light in a new way. People are re-evaluating whether their financial power to accumulate possessions and wealth is the only determining factor of their happiness and success. Some are being forced to shrink their activities, their budgets and their ambitions and many report that it is not all bad. Sure, economic woes are scary and many are frightened of how long they may last, but those that can keep their wits about them are also re-discovering what really matters to them.
It seems that there has been a shift. Where finding meaning had often been a deep search for finding reasons to endure our own suffering, it seems that finding meaning now is more about finding significance in our living. Experiencing meaning requires an elevated state of consciousness — the more disconnected or busy we are, the less meaningful life feels. So therefore, today’s opportunity brought to us by seemingly negative circumstances (job layoffs or a shortage of cash) is forcing us to have the time to engage in our life in meaningful ways.

If you are wondering ‘what it’s all about’, here are some ways you can reconnect, raise your awareness and start re-designing your way to a new meaningful life.

Raise Your Vibration

Spend time outdoors observing nature everyday.

Communicate what you feel good or bad.

Notice where you avoid connecting with people, be brave and try.

Bring your talents into your work or find an outlet for them outside of work. Either way USE them.

Begin to plan your life as a vehicle for serving others instead of a series of personal and professional benchmarks (and yes you can get paid well for it!).

Become more conscious of how your actions affect those around you and even the global impact.

Live everyday for connection to self, others, work, and planet.

Questions to Consider

What matters to you?

What would you do if money were no object?

What have you left unsaid that must be said? (to family, coworkers, people who have hurt you or impacted you positively)

What frustrates you most?

What physical objects do you possess that carry great meaning for you?

What parts of yourself have you left behind that you’d like to reclaim?

What impact would you like to make?

What is your self-concept? What would you like it to be if you were not accused of bragging?

What kind of work would you do if you have all your needs cared for doing it?

To be connected to yourself and raising your awareness allows for a fullness of being that we call meaning. When we seem to see how the pieces fit together and what our part is in it, we start to have a trust in ourselves and our ability to make our way despite the evidence of hard circumstances all around us. When all the institutions we have relied on to form our lives are no longer able to provide that guidance, it is up to us. Creating your own definition of a meaningful life will be your raft to success as we navigate the current turbulent waters.

©2009 Laura Berman Fortgang, author of The Little Book on Meaning: Why We Crave It, How We Create It
Author Bio
Laura Berman Fortgang, author of The Little Book on Meaning: Why We Crave It, How We Create It, is a nationally renowned speaker and life coach, helping individuals, small businesses, and corporations forge new directions and weather change. Recently ordained as an interfaith minister, she lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Learn more about The Little Book on Meaning at http://www.thelittlebookonmeaning.com/

By: O Quinn

Has the Mother’s Day celebration become too expensive? In the past have you taken mom out to a costly dinner and shower her with expensive gifts? As we come upon Mother’s Day we still want to let mother’s know who special they are but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank.

Ideas for a frugal Mother’s Day celebration are endless and you hampered only by your own imagination. In our family we hold an extended family celebration. Father’s and children prepare the meal and desserts while also cleaning up after the entire shindig. Gifts are exchanged father and child to mother and mother’s to each other. Gifts are very small and usually end up being good baskets that cost only a few dollars.

The first thing to think about when putting together a Mother’s Day is that this is a wonderful opportunity to make and create. Even though we are a in a buy buy society hand crafted gifts are much more memorable and meaningful.
Here are some ideas.

Make your Mother’s Day Meal from scratch -Taking mom out to dinner can be incredibly costly. Put together your own 5 star meal at home. Roasts are so much easier to prepare now that we have those great oven bags Just follow the directions and pop it in the oven for a never dried out cut of meat. Add some potatoes and a yummy salad. Make some of your menu items before hand such as desserts and appetizers. Bake a cake from scratch rather than buying one. If you’ve never baked a cake before buy a cake mix and a tub of frosting. It’s so easy it should be outlawed. You can also find complete meal recipes and instructions on the internet also. Just do a search under “Mother’s Day Menu”. If you are rather gourmet in your cooking ability search for special recipes in magazines like Cook’s Illustrated and back issues of Victoria Magazine. Get these issues from the library.

Make your Mother’s Day cards from scratch – Scrapbook your card or cards. Be extra frugal and use flower cut outs and sentiments from previous cards in your Mother’s Day card. Do you have a printer and some great ink? You can find tons of printable cards online. Just do a search and check out what you find. You still have time make a day of it with the kids. Pull out all the paper crafts and design an outstanding Mother’s Day card. Cut flowers from ready to toss magazines. Glue them onto card-stock. Make a border out of a scrap piece of lace. Pre-print the words on the front and add you own special sentiment inside.

Make Your Mother’s Day Gifts – What would mean more to mom than a bottle of expensive perfume? Probably a day or two without household worries or cares. A week’s worth of freezer meals. Can you sew? Make mom a fragrant lavender filled neck wrap. Fill it with rice and dried lavender.

Mother’s Day is a very special day but that does not mean it has to be very expensive. Let mom know you care because you took the extra time to make it by hand.

O Quinn is a stay at home, work at home mom who while enjoying the art of taking care of home still likes to simplify the whole homemaking process. Join her affiliate program and brand these articles to earn money from your website or blog.
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For complete checklists for home and life visit Household Notes and for information on organizing your home visit Homemaking Organized.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

By Laura Fortgang,
Author of The Little Book on Meaning

It’s long been assumed that motherhood brings meaning to our lives. We guide, love, nurture and support our offspring and sometimes feel appreciated in return — all elements that can fuel our connectedness and satisfaction in the world. It’s easy to find meaningful moments as a mom, but it’s when things are tough that it seems we don’t know how to interpret what meaning is. What if the greatest reward and meaning of being a mother is the growth our children force us to do?

Being a parent is a very hard job no matter how you slice it, but to further the true blessing that children are is to work equally hard on being conscious and mindful of the growth our kids call forth in us. Perhaps your patience needs work or your critical side needs to be quieted or you need to learn compassion or you could stand to give up some perfectionism. Parenting in a kind and loving way can only come if we face these issues in ourselves. Maybe this is the true meaning behind being in relationship with these souls.

There is no greater hot button for me than feeling rendered irrelevant or ineffective. Not being able to calm and fussy baby or now, a pre-teen who is convinced they are unpopular and therefore unworthy of living are circumstances that can set me off into an irrational frustration that usually results in an ugly scene. I might yell or let something come out of my mouth that is less than constructive. Shame follows instantly but it has taken years to massage this issue into a submissive state where I can stay reasonably conscious and restrain from acting out of a lower consciousness. (i.e. dysfunctional behavior)

I know better. I teach people how to communicate more effectively, I teach spiritual concepts, I have practiced yoga and meditation. Why is this still hard? Because this is the real work. These children (I have a total of three) make me face my own demons, my own feelings of helplessness or unworthiness. It is only as I work through them that I can really be free and present for them. It is only through their presence refining me, the grain sand in the oyster, that a pearl will emerge. A pearl that brightens things for everyone once the work is done.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about mom being perfect before she can parent. It’s about the path that dishes out its bumps and makes us better because of them. Our children are part of those bumps. Their problems are our problems, their personalities hand picked to iron out the wrinkles in our being, their triumphs ours to hope we had something to do with.

Each of my children shines a spotlight on the places where my capacity for love can stand to grow. Of course, they are all talented and beautiful and I love them more than anything, but they also grow me. And growth is often painful or at least uncomfortable. They are here FOR us — to grow us — they don’t come to us to just be lovely adornments to our life who exist to make us happy.

My fussy baby/pre-teen is very sensitive and TLC from mom is often not effective. I am still working on the patience and bandwidth needed to find an entry to his psyche that allows comfort and connection. It comes often but it’s an unpredictable series of attempts through the maze of his wiring to open him back to breathing at ease with the flow of life. It’s work and it’s a testament to love that we hang in there together to get back to it.

My middle child can be petulant and needs to be right at all costs. ARGH! Despite being beautiful, caring and talented in many creative ways, her resistance is a common stumbling block to discipline, cooperation and negotiation. Our relationship causes me to be confronted with my own need to be right. It took me a couple of years to learn that a power struggle was not going to be the answer.
I had to give up the fight to be right and learn not to be hooked by the pull of that game. I found a way to stay above the fray like a mature adult should (if they didn’t have their own wounds) and guide her to her own answers that often show her how very mistaken her logic is! Of course, I don’t gloat but I have finally learned to unhook from the drama that she is so good at creating.

My youngest has introduced me to the world of having a child with special needs. He’s had a seizure disorder and we’ve entered the world of special education. After four years, we have suddenly gone into remission and are hoping to be pronounced cured soon. The growth being asked of me through this child has been about trusting my judgment before that of experts and advocating for my child medically and education-wise. He has grown me into a warrior. Not a barbaric warrior, but rather a force to reckoned with who will draw on whatever strength I may not have even known I had to do right by him. Despite doubt, worry and sleepless nights, the challenge has been to remain mentally strong enough to keep looking for solutions and believe in my son’s ability to heal. Trying to stay in love instead of in fear. This has been part of my personal journey and what I work with clients on and here, it has been tested more and more.

Meaningful connections as mothers? Certainly! Always a sunny, easy ride? Hardly ever! Our children are in reality ministers to our soul’s growth. They have a higher calling then whatever their careers turn out to be. We have to let our little ministers to their very big work. Even if we, their mothers, are the greatest work they came to transform.

©2009 Laura Fortgang, author of The Little Book on Meaning

Author Bio
Laura Fortgang, author of The Little Book on Meaning, is a nationally renowned speaker and life coach, helping individuals, small businesses, and corporations forge new directions and weather change. A contributing editor for Redbook magazine with a regular feature called “Live Your Dreams,” Laura recently became ordained as an Interfaith Minister. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Learn more about The Little Book on Meaning at http://www.thelittlebookonmeaning.com/

Sunday, we went back to San Francisco.
We walked down to The Maritime Museum

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

And went into the little store with a nice collection of Nautical Books and Maritime Collectibles

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We walked right next door to Aquatic Beach

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

Ghiradelli Square and The Cannery are nearby.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went onto Pompeii’s a restaurant right next to Lou’s Pier 47

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We got on a Tour Bus
San Francisco Sightseeing
Took the city tour, saw China Town, Tallest building in San Francisco, City Bookstore and more.
The city has trolleys from all over the world.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went past City Hall

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We got off at Wahsington Square and went into St. Peter and Paul Church

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

Onto The Beat Museum…it was closed (on Mondays)

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

We went to The City Lights Bookstore
http://www.citylights.com/

We ate at a little cafe on Stockton St.

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon

And caught the tour bus back at Washington Square

From San Francisco March 8th late afternoon