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Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children


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



I was stunned when I first heard these words. Of all places, I didn’t expect to hear a profound quote from a somewhat dark movie called “The Crow”. Mind you, I fully expected to dislike this movie only to find remembering it all the time because of how dear the statement is to me. It’s so true and so simply put!

My dearest friend, Jenjen, portrays an ideal of motherhood. You can tell how much she loves being a mother by all that she does and creates. This is true from her home, to her children, her newly published book “Out of Status” and finally, the tremendous work she’s been doing with our shared group at FALDEF. It takes a mother to do all that AND to do it well. Mainly, her motherly love makes all that seems impossible to be accomplished in one day, let alone in one hour, with excellent results.

Certainly there are many kinds of mothers. Some are warm, huggable, super smart, patient and maternal in every possible way ( Jen). Then of course, there are those who are the complete opposite of that. Each mother is as unique as a snowflake and a thumbprint. Mother Nature, in all her great encompassing and mysterious wisdom, allows all the different varieties of mothers to exist on this blue green planet of ours. Although I am often tempted to wish all moms were like my friend, I remind myself that, Mother Nature being the true manifestation of motherhood, unconditionally loves and therefore every kind of mother exists alongside each other. In the grand scheme of the Divine Plan the “not so great ones” are no less important than the great ones. At the end of the day, my personal preferences are myopic. I cannot comprehend how having all these types of mothers fit perfectly & exquisitely in the human tapestry in order to fulfill its collective spiritual journey.


Perhaps it is a bit easier for me to feel this way because I have witnessed an embodiment of this loving, silent wisdom for many years now. This unconditional love is manifested in the form of my guru, Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma. She is simply clothed. She travels around the world (in coach) to hold the millions of people in Her arms. She speaks of every person as being Her children and, of each of us as beings of Divine Consciousness. It has to be true. After all how could She lick the leprosy off a leper for a period spanning six months, heal him and not get leprosy Herself? How could She, though practically uneducated, not glamorously looking have an organization that is able to donate $23M dollars to the tsunami victims? How also could one such as Her diagnosed with all kinds of diseases hug thousands of people for 10-12 hours back to back days without stretching, resting, eating or going to the bathroom and look as cheerful and refreshed as when She started? She has hugged the poorest of Africa and India, the celebrities of Hollywood like Sharon Stone, even the famous Jane Goodall who presented Her with a U.N. award a few year back.

A mother sees her child in its highest and best form. In this regard, we can all choose to be mothers at anytime with anyone. After all what highest form could there be than being seen and held by another who sees everyone as the unlimited, blissful and eternal being that they truly are? 

by resident writer, Marie Aunio

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