~by Michelle

I’m not sure how I ended up on the mailing list for this postcard, but I did. As is often the case, it got buried in my paper pile, but Monday night, I found it. And I wanted to share it, especially because I realized Mother’s Day is sneaking up. I thought this was a good way to get a lot of people involved in celebrating motherhood — and considering all the many ways women can be mothers.

From May 2 to May 13, you can join in the effort by a news station to celebrate “the power of mothers to influence, inspire and impact the world.” On the Motherhood Matters about page, we can read more about what the goals of this effort are. Note that the definition of motherhood here is broader than just women who have children of their own:

Motherhood Matters is a campaign to inspire, encourage, and remind ourselves why motherhood matters. More than just a stage of life marked by the presence of children, we are celebrating motherhood as a way of life that empowers our best selves. The dictionary defines a mother as a female parent, yet we all know female parents who are not mothers and we know mothers who are not parents. The true definition of a mother is a woman who teaches, inspires, nurtures and loves those she comes into contact with.

I was struck by one of the reasons this news station is doing this Motherhood Matters effort:

The recent cover of a popular woman’s magazine shouts that we are entitled to our ideal body, a better job, more energy, more love, and less stress. While there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, the pursuit drives us inward. We end up investing our time and energy in girlfriend getaways, spa days, updating our Facebook profile, and other activities that have become benchmarks, or at least distractions, for a fulfilling life. Popular culture promises that by recognizing and focusing on our own needs, we will find empowerment. In reality it creates a culture of comparison, distraction and discontent, none of which lead to empowerment. The act of mothering … caring for, teaching, and nurturing, has just the opposite effect. It emboldens us with confidence, contentment and purpose.

We invite women everywhere, of all faiths (or no faith at all) to celebrate motherhood with others who are taking this community challenge. And any of you men reading, please feel free to join us, too. Celebrate the women in your life as we approach Mother’s Day. (And remind us that we need to do the same for the men in our lives when Father’s Day rolls around!)

Each day, there is a theme/topic to focus on. You can start on Day 1 now, or catch up and start on whatever day you happen to find this post!

Day 1′s topic was simply to declare that motherhood matters, share that message with five people. Also, we invite you to invite others to join in this effort. The quote for the day was, “Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” – Lin Yutang

Here’s the video that went along with Day 1: Motherhood Matters

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

We’ll post Day 2′s message in another post, and get caught up with Day 3!