This Sunday is Mothers Day. Given the sheer volume of ads on the topic that have flooded my inbox, I can’t imagine this comes as a surprise to anyone. That said, I also suspect it’s not a universally welcome marker. Mothers Day, like many other days that come with heavy expectations, can be complicated. We don’t all have idyllic relationships with our moms. For some, this is a day that is about loss, perhaps of their mom or other parent, their own dreams about being a parent or the loss of a child. For some, it’s an occasion that can be fully embraced and celebrated. But…Covid. “Hey mom…you o.k. with zoom? Again?”. This year, even if it’s good it might have an “ouch” in it.

So, as a community committed to embracing the whole journey and not just the smiley bits, what to do?

Reflecting on this sort of challenge reminded me of something else I miss. I miss the Sundays when we sat in a circle and shared some aspect of our lives with one another. We didn’t do it all that often, but when we did I always came away feeling filled up with a range of stories that spanned the gamut of our experiences, from full-to-the-brim joy to rattling-on-empty sorrow.

So here is what I would like to do this Sunday. I would like us to try having an online Nurture Fest. In my mind’s eye, we’re at Creative Manitoba, the chairs are in a circle, we’ve had a chance to sing together and we’ve been reminded that the things that are shared in the circle, stay in the circle…that this is a safe place in which to tell our stories. This won’t be recorded for Facebook or a podcast. No one is obliged to share, but everyone is welcome to. And we’ll do it on Zoom rather than Facebook so if people choose to have their cameras and mics on when they share, we can see and hear one another. When we gather on Facebook, I REALLY miss that aspect of our interaction. Chat really doesn’t cut it in this regard.

Maybe I’ll start with a couple of brief thoughts about what nurturance is, and why it matters. Then we’ll open it up and see what comes.

Here are some seed ideas, and a couple of details about ways to share stories other than speaking up in a group, which isn’t everyone’s cup ‘o tea. 

Since this is a “nurture fest”, let’s focus our stories on people that have been nurturing in our lives. For some of us, that’ll be stories about our moms. If that’s the case, great! For others, the important nurturing people have been someone else. Or maybe the story we have to tell is about some instance where we were able to provide sustaining care for another person, and that’s what comes to mind when we think about nurturance. Remember, these are just starter ideas, not boundary ideas. Share what you want to share.

Now…for those for whom sharing something this personal in a Zoom gathering feels like an unappealing idea, here are some alternatives. You could write your story down and send it to me as an email that I can read out loud. You could even do it anonymously if that felt more approachable or safer. Just let me know if you want to be identified by name when I share your story. Either way, we would all still know a bit more about what someone in our community feels or has experienced when it comes to being nurtured.

If you want to share in the Zoom gathering, just take your turn when you can. We’ll all make a point of not interrupting whoever is sharing, and keeping our mics muted if we’re not speaking so others can more easily hear what is being shared. If we go long, it’ll just flow over into our “And Lunch After” time slot.

How does that sound to you?  You in? Who has nurtured you in ways that  you want to celebrate? What do you grieve when it comes to this same realm? Do you have any dreams or longings in this regard that you want to share with others? Any thoughts about how we can do this better for or with one another? What do you want to share with us this Sunday?

Gather your thoughts and reflections. Write them down and send them if you want me to read them. You can reach me by replying to this email, or if you are seeing this blurb on our website my email address is tim@thetablewinnipeg.com.

I’ll see you on Sunday.
Peace,

Tim Plett