Celebrating the Mama Spirit in All of Us

Mother's Day has come and gone, but I have not stopped reflecting on the power of the Mama spirit. For years, before giving birth to our little girl, Naima, I celebrated Mother's Day. "I have a fur baby," I proudly reminded the hubby, family and friends, "plus, all those nieces and nephews," my voice screeching with heightened assurance. "Sure, you're a Mom," they said, laughing, patting me on the back gently, kinda like you would a small kid who half recites their ABCs. I took it all in stride of course, but those words stayed with me.

As the holiday rolls around each year, and social media timelines are flooded with a celebration of all things maternal I wonder why we solely define motherhood biologically? I think of my Great Aunt Louise; she never carried children of her own, but mothered countless wide-eyed brown boys and girls.

You see, the Mama spirit moves beyond the mere experience of labor. It is found within the subtle and unassuming empathy we extend to our fellow living beings, whether consoling a wounded animal, or someone whose pain connects deeply to our own.

This way of moving through the world, honoring the nurturer within us, lives in our souls. As Prince wisely said, "Compassion is an action word with no boundaries." Resist the tendency, my dear friends, to allow our culture or another person to define your way of being in this world. Throughout her moving essay, "Self Definition And My Poetry" writer Audre Lorde urges us to push against the stifling weight of self-limitation: "...there will always be someone seeking to use one or part of your selves, and at the same time urging you to forget or destroy all other selves. And I warn you, this is death... death to you as a human being."

You are a Mama whether you are a man or woman, childless, a senior citizen or twenty something. It is how we show up emotionally, daily, moment by moment, which characterizes us. This is ultimately what endures. And when we honor the Mama in each of us, we create experiences and worlds rooted in unwavering and radical love. And love is the bridge, our pathway to both surrender and transformation. Stand firm in uplifting all pieces of yourself. You are Mama, lover, counselor, and teacher. You are divine.