The word mother is rooted in the word matter and is based ultimately in baby talk; 'Ma.' This is true as one traces lines of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, German, Dutch, etc., we can find it in Proto Indo-European language; mater. Which now you see is the beginning of maternal.Â
Latin materia "substance from which something is made"
Romans referred to what we call Earth as Terra Mater, a dirt mother. The first deity and goddess who emerged from chaos and created all that we know.Â
All women who have given birth are holy. Some with major holes in their mothering.Â
All mothers are worthy of our worship because giving their bodies to us is enough.Â
Mothering you after you are born is more than one person's labor.
Love all the dirt mothers.
Mothers matter more than we acknowledge.
Mothering is caring for life. Something we can all do.Â
Say grace. Maaaamaaaa.
Care for all mothers.
Care for Terra Mater.
Exercise: Tie a red string around your wrist.
Do: When you see the red string remember who you are. Remember the red string that connected you to your mother. Remember the red string that connected your grandmothers to the mother of us all.
Dare: Draw this connection.
Tell me how it went!
*I wrote a poem many years ago called Ode to Mother Matters1
Ode to Mother Matters
I love you mother me
a mother to one son
and a dead born baby
I love you mother of me
now a grandmotherÂ
and a mother whose daughter died one day
I love you mother of three
billions of lives before me
I love you mothers of mad-men
of good baby boys
and girls who cry for mother’s milk
I love you mothers who tried
for babies that died
the mothers that others don’t see as mothers
I love you mothers who wanted to be moms
but something wasn’t quite right
and you never had that delight
I love you mothers who didn’t want your babies
and gave them back to godÂ
and to other mothers waiting stand by
I love you mothers who put your eggs in her bellyÂ
or put her eggs in your belly
I love you mothers that decided you would never have a child
because taking care of you was all a mother could do
I love you bad mothers, mean mothers, and bum mothers too
sometimes it just sucks, that feeling I know
being you
I love you all mothers
you matter to me