My annual sharing of the favorite “Momisms” that readers have shared with me has a unique focus this year. I have curated what was sent to me and am sharing the words that are especially relevant to navigating one’s way through a pandemic.
What I enjoy most about collecting these words of wisdom from mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and other women in our lives are the stories that readers include about the women they are quoting. I hear stories of women who passed years ago and of ones who have died recently. I hear stories of kind mothers and some who were not. And I hear of stories of fun times and hard ones as well. Quite a few of you shared stories this year of adversity that was overcome, which made what was shared especially relevant to what we are experiencing today.
Mother’s Day can be an emotional time. Many of you shared your grief because this is the first Mother’s Day since your mother or grandmother passed away, or because you can’t be with your loved ones this year. For many people, and for many reasons, Mother’s Day can sometimes be a sad time, and so my heart goes out to all who are grieving right now.
My column for January 31, 2020, began with these words, “Recent concerns about the coronavirus remind us of just how connected we all are to each other, and how quickly a virus can spread.” I went on to write about how what is in each of our hearts and souls is highly contagious, and that we have the power to infect others with love and kindness. The “Momisms” you shared with me are proof of just what I was writing about three and a half months ago.
So, without further ado, here is the special Covid-19 edition of “Momisms”:
- You don’t have to like it; you just have to do it.
- Never leave the house without saying, “I love you.” (the first part seems especially relevant!)
- Life goes on.
- A good sense of humor goes a long way.
- This too, shall pass.
- Just because you are thinking something, doesn’t mean you should speak it.
- Pause to watch the sun set, and be assured it will rise again in the morning.
- Everything will look better in the morning.
- Life is not fair, so you have to live the life you have been given. Live it well.
- Nothing is more important than what you are doing right now.
- It’s not what happens to you that matters, but how you handle it.
- Nothing in life comes easy; you have to work hard for everything you get.
- Life is hard by the yard, but a cinch by the inch.
- Do your best, and then let it go and leave the results to God.
- This moment is fleeting in the overall scheme of things.
- You don’t have to like the cards you are dealt, but you do have to play them.
- It may not be ok, but it will all work out.
- You will always have some dirt in your house, but you will not always have kids in the house.
- “Cuando una puerta se cierra, se abren cien.” (When one door closes, one hundred open.)
- Let go and let God.
- Never say never.
- Always remember to be kind.
- Take care of each other.
And to all the mothers reading this, Happy Mother’s Day!
Article by The Rev. Dr. D. Scott Stoner, Living Compass
