Excellent replacement cookie jar

Have you tried to find a cookie jar lately? It isn’t easy! For all practical purposes, they don’t exist in walk-in stores.

About a month ago, my ten-year old grandson and I were horsing around in their kitchen. Between us, we managed to break the cookie jar lid.

As we swept up the shards we agreed we would need to go out together and find a replacement. This wasn’t going to be an on-line fix, but a one-on-one, time together in the car, and searching-the-shelves experience.

The Saturday before Mother’s Day was our outing. Eventually after walking through several stores, we found a canister which could become a cookie jar; on top of that, the colors worked surprisingly well for the kitchen. We had a good time together and, best of all, his mom was delighted with the replacement.

This was a fairly typical expression of love and caring on Mother’s Day.

But what if you don’t have a mom? Or if you don’t have children? The good news is that mothering and fathering can take many forms.

There are a multitude of opportunities to give of ourselves, if we are open to them. Nearly every school needs volunteer tutors. Nearly every community can use volunteers for various services and organizations. There are different ways to express nurturing, guidance, and caring outside the traditional family structure.

If physical contact with children isn't an option, most faith traditions offer meaningful ways to pray for the world's children. Children in need aren't picky about your faith; but they are grateful for whatever blessings your prayers may bring.

“Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.” (Mary Baker Eddy)

Looking for, and stepping into, opportunities to express fathering and mothering blesses those who need what we have to give, and bolsters our own sense of worth.

This can be done without breaking cookie jars.

Mother's Day 2008

As this Mother’s Day draws to a close, I am so grateful for my mom. I so appreciate, more today than yesterday, her unselfed love. Her wisdom, caring, being there to cheer her us kids when we did well, and to reassure us when life seemed tough – these are her expression of God as Mother.

For me this does not diminish God’s fathering role. Rather it complements the masculine protectiveness and decisiveness with a nurturing, tenderness, and steadfast love associated more often with moms.

· A mom is a peacemaker. She wants her children/neighbors/community to get along.
· A mom stands up for what is right. She will side with the teacher when her kids mess up.
· A mom is a good listener. She listens between the lines, between the tears.
· A mom sees through deception when her kids test their boundaries.
· A mom is there for you, even when it means facing consequences.

Even those with no biological children have opportunities to mother – to nurture and support the good in neighbors colleagues, family. The world needs a mother’s wisdom and gentleness, her caring and consolation. If we cannot save the whole world, we can at least mother it.

“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” William Makepeace Thackeray

“The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests.” Author Unknown

“A mother’s affection cannot be weaned from her child, because the mother-love includes purity and constancy, both of which are immortal. Therefore maternal affection lives on under whatever difficulties.” Mary Baker Eddy

“Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.” Mary Baker Eddy