Pathlight : Mothers, Gems of the World
Annie Wenger-Nabigon, Author of Pathlight: Living the good life
Mother’s Day is coming up soon and many people are planning how to honor their mother on this special day. Flower and gift shops find this a profitable season, as do jewelry stores. It seems that for many people an excellent way to show Mom how much she means to us is to give her a flower or special piece of jewelry.
That was never possible for me because my Mom never wore jewelry – and now she has passed on and I have only one Auntie left alive to honor as my “Second Mom”. But she doesn’t wear jewelry either! I tell her that she herself is my gem, and I value her more that any gem anyone could ever give.
This year I am honoring all women everywhere who nurture the lives of children. They are the true gems of the world! There are many ways to be a “mother” without necessarily giving birth to a child. My daughters – a teacher and a nurse – care for children of all ages in the course of their work. My Auntie, who never gave birth, has a room full of photos and cards collected from the dozens of families that she encourages and supports every day. Her prized art on the walls of her kitchen are from the 40 plus children she sends birthday cards to each year. I also know many, many women who volunteer and work hard to improve the lives of children and families around the world.
These women, who lift up the next generation and care for the lives of children who are already on this wonderful, needful planet, truly are the gems of the world. All mothers everywhere, whether in “first world” countries, or “third world” countries, give their life energies to sustain human life on this planet. (Of course, so do fathers, but that holiday is coming in June!)
What is a “gem”? It is a mineral, a stone, which comes from the earth in a rare form and is cut, ground, and polished to a high sheen and considered as a precious and valuable treasure. A gem goes through a lot of trauma to end up in a jewelry store, and often, so do the people who gather the gems from mines. Not all gems end up in a jewelry store – some are broken and discarded, or recycled into industrial uses, which doesn’t change the fact that it started out as a gem stone.
The lesson I take from that is this: we honor the mothers who nurture us, and recognize that sometimes mothers are not able to nurture us for many different reasons. What they give becomes recycled into other useful purposes, and that, too can be honored. If your mother is your adoptive mother, or foster mother, or step-mother, she is important. If your biological mother was absent in your life, honor the gift of life she gave you, and learn what is useful to you as you move forward to nurture the world you live in.
On this Mother’s Day, resolve to honor the gems of the world who nurture us all!
Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW
Pathlight@OntarioNewsNorth.com
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ANNIE RECOMMENDS:
- The Hollow Tree by Herb Nabigon
- EldersTeachings.blogspot.com
- Pathlight: Journey to a Good Life archives
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Author of Pathlight; Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW is originally from the U.S., earning her Canadian Citizenship in 2013. Annie & her Husband live in Pic River First Nation. Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW has been a cinical social worker since 1979 working in mental health, family therapy, and addictions services. She is a doctoral candidate at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. She works full-time as an Adult Mental Health and Addictions Therapist at the Marathon office of North of Superior Counseling Programs. Annie also works part-time as a consultant for LYNX, owned by her husband Herb Nabigon, MSW. Herb provides traditional Anishnabek teachings and healing workshops for both Native and non-Native organizations. Together he and Annie provide training and education to professionals on a wide range of topics blending mainstream and traditional approaches in healing. They also provide cultural safety and anti-racism training.
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