Today is a reflective day. It is Mother’s Day in the USA, and, as you can imagine, it often times brings up bittersweet memories.
Mother’s Day can be a time of warmth and gratitude, but also of longing and reflection. Memories of our mothers, grandmothers, or those who nurtured us can bring both joy and a deep sense of loss. It’s a day that can carry a complex mixture of emotions.
We wish to honor the mothers in Ukraine and Gaza – two war-torn areas, where mothers face extreme challenges.
We can honor the mothers of Ukraine and Gaza in a way that acknowledges their strength, courage, and resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Blessing for the Mothers of Ukraine and Gaza
May your hands, which cradle life even in the shadow of ruin, Be blessed with strength beyond the weight of fear.
May your whispered prayers, whether they rise from church spires or drift among minarets, be heard and held by the heavens, carried like the scent of rain on a parched wind.
May your arms, which shelter the innocent and gather the frightened, be a fortress that no darkness can breach.
May your tears, which water the earth of shattered streets, be transformed into rivers of healing and renewal.
May your courage, quiet and fierce as a mountain, be a light to your children, a reminder that even in the deepest night, love can never be conquered.
May the souls of those you love, wherever they wander, be guarded and guided, always finding their way home.
And may you, O mothers of Ukraine and Gaza, be held in the embrace of a peace that surpasses all understanding, A peace that endures beyond the clash of weapons, a peace that is born of your boundless, unyielding love.
A Golden Thread
We are reminded of Pete Seeger’s beautiful song, Oh, Had I a Golden Thread.
Oh, Had I a Golden Thread
by Pete Seeger
Oh had I a golden thread
And a needle so fine
I would weave a magic spell
Of rainbow design
In it I would weave the courage
Of women giving birth
And in it I would weave the innocence
Of the children of all the earth
Won't you show my brothers and sisters
My rainbow design
'Cause I would bind up this sorry world
With hand and my heart and mind
Oh hand and heart and mind
Oh had I a golden thread
And a needle so fine
I would weave a magic spell
Of rainbow design
And in it I would weave the innocence
Of the children of all the earth
