In the last two weeks, we have seen the passing of two very different "Mothers". I thought I would share some of my personal reflections on these two women, and provide some links for you to other sites that discuss their lives.
These two women, while seemingly so different at first glance, both epitomize what the word "Mother" means. And what does "Mother" mean? To me, the following two attributes are the most important that I usually associate with "Motherhood":
Unconditional Love
Loving children without conditions. Loving them because they are who they are.
Nurturing and Caregiving
Getting-up in the middle of the night to cleanup the mess when your little one is sick; changing the fourth dirty diaper of the day.
Princess Diana (1961-1997)
Princess Diana epitomized motherhood in several ways. Her obvious love for her two sons can be seen in the many pictures taken of her, gazing lovingly at them. Some people have criticized Diana in one way or another, but I do not believe she has ever been accused of being anything less than a very loving mother to her two sons. She did her best to give her sons as normal a life as possible.
And Diana's charity work also qualifies her as an example of what Motherhood means. Lady Di went out of her way to hug sick children, support aids research, and near the end of her life, lobbying against land mines.
About.com links to Princess Diana:
Alcoholism Guide Buddy T. discusses the alcohol level in the driver's blood. Very good insights and a report on the differing reports we are all hearing.
Mother Theresa (1910-1997)
Mother Theresa, while not a "mother" in the literal sense, certainly epitomized the qualities of a true mother. For highlights of her life, go to this CNN site (I was surprised to discover that she had a heart attack back in 1983.)
Mother Theresa went out of her way to love, counsel and console the "unlovable" people of our society. She embraced lepers, poor children world-wide, and other people who felt so hopeless, and for this she was awarded the Noble Peace Prize.
Finally, I want to provide you with a special link I found tonight. This is Elton John, an audio and video combination, singing "Candle in the Wind" at Diana's funeral. (You will probably need a special plug-in for your browser to view this, I did, but it was worth the download time of about 20 minutes.) I fell asleep at my computer Saturday night, (I do that now and then), but I woke up just in time to see Elton John perform this song at the funeral. To me personally, "Candles in the Wind" has always held a special spot in my heart. It was the number one song when I found out I was pregnant with my first son, almost 10 years ago. And this was after six years of infertility.
| 