Goodbye February – Hello March!

February is finally over! I admit I’m not sorry to see this month go. Here in Pennsylvania, our temperatures hovered around 0^o on many days. 

The good news is that birds are beginning to sing in the morning, and next Sunday, March 8 begins Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Whooo-hoooo! The following day, I will be going to Florida for a week. Whooo-hooo!

It’s been a great month on the Wise Women of Age blog. Readership increases with every month. For me, that’s a sign that you wise women relate to what I write about. 

In case you missed them, here is your chance to catch up on this month’s subjects, ranked by readership. Click on any hot link to go directly to that blog:

Through a Mother’s Eyes – A story for those of faith about  the crucifixion and a mother's love,

thoughts about this holy Christian season of Lent, and the crucifixion through the eyes of a mother and how it relates to us. 

Here Comes the Sun – Just Not Soon Enough – Winter makes me SAD. I mean SAD as in Seasonal Affective Disorder. Could you be suffering from it too? I give you my take on it in this blog,

So Many Books, So Little Time - Winter is my time for reading, and I read A LOT! I read concurrently, and will often be working through a novel, some kind of non-fiction “how to” book, doing a Bible study, and my pile of periodicals to peruse. Nothing is better on a snowy winter afternoon than to nestle under the cuddle blanket my granddaughter made for me with my dog, a cup of tea, and a good book. In this blog, I share with you the titles of some of my favorite books of this month. 

Punxsutawney Phil –Up Close and Personal  -  Here’s a little known fact about me: Punxsutawney Phil and I are BFFs. Groundhog Day means more to me than the lore of a rodent's shadow. It’s a turning point in my life. Read this blog to get the rest of the story.

Secret Spending – I Cannot Tell a Lie -  We would all like to think we are not liars. I’m sure we all try NOT to be liars. However, sometimes we tell lies with our actions, not words. Secret spending and financial infidelity are destructive in relationships. If you’re committing financial offenses, you need to read this blog.

You Gotta Have Friends – Did you know that interaction with your coffee shop gang could add two and half years to your life? Check out this blog to get the story.  

Senior Dating: Advice from Me and Willie Nelson -Widowed, divorced, separated, or single? Are you interested in dating in the September of your life? Do you know someone who is? Where to begin? In this February month of all things Valentine related, we will look at searching for love in the second half of our lives. Willie Nelson and I have some advice to help you out.

Heart of My Heart – Women and Heart Disease – What You Need to Know - 69% of women don't know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. Do you know your risks? Do you know that women’s symptoms of a heart attack are different than men’s symptoms? Read this blog for information to put you in the know. You owe it to those you love.

Round, Round, Ready, Touch – The Death of Penmanship –  Penmanship is disappearing in school. I remember making rocker and rainbow motions. I remember “round, round, ready-touch” as we oval-ed our full-motion arms across the pre-lined practice papers.

Think about those love letters your husband wrote, your mother’s recipe cards, and the Mother’s Day cards your kids made for you. Aren’t they a treasure? Where would we be if the signers of the Declaration of Independence couldn’t sign their names?

We need to keep penmanship alive. Hear me out in this blog.

There you have it. I’m looking forward to hearing more from my readers. Your comments are often the spark that generates this blog. So keep them coming!

If you know someone who benefit or enjoy this blog, please forward it to them.

Through a Mother's Eyes

Here we are again in the season of Lent. For me, this is the most meaningful season of the Christian calendar. I fully embrace the Christian rituals that are part of the celebration of the resurrection. 

This past Tuesday, we had the traditional fare for our household for Fat Tuesday by pounding down as many pancakes as we could comfortably hold. The feasting is typical in preparation for the 40 days of Lent, a time when we do penance for the forty days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness. My greatest indulgence is the daily consumption of at least one kolache (little Czech pastries). My Lenten sacrifice usually means foregoing kolaches during the Lenten season.

For the first day of Lent,  I took part in an Ash Wednesday service that included participation in preparation for Communion by reciting the litany that includes a declaration of the mystery of faith, “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.”

The Passion of Christ

Truthfully, despite the best efforts of my pastor to engage and teach us with a meaningful sermon, my mind was wandering during the service. I started thinking about the crucifixion and the memorable movie, The Passion of Christ. A heartbreaking scene takes place in that movie when Jesus is carrying the cross through the streets. Jesus’ mother and Mary Magdalen are following on a parallel street trying to keep him in their line of vision as he plods through the jeering crowds. In one moment, in the center of an intersection, Jesus falls. As he rests for a moment in the street to gather his energy to rise again, Mother Mary catches his eye. The silent sharing of love that passes between the eyes of the mother and the eyes of her son will rip sobs from your throat. I guarantee. The love of the mother and the son is palpable.

“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.” Mitch Albom wrote this line in his best seller, For One More Day, a story of a mother and a son, which asks you to think about what would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one? I wonder, do you think Jesus saw that pure mother love in that fleeting moment in his final hours?

In the Boomer Babes Lifestyle Survey that I authored last year, 84% of respondents indicated they were mothers. My guess is that they have had their hearts wrenched sometime in life when they saw their child bullied, lose their job, experience a failed relationship, or deal with financial, drug or alcohol issues.

 My own son is one I would not hesitate to label as a rascal when he was little. Without a doubt, he was a handful and a challenge. As his mother, I have watched his struggles in life, trying to guide and support without suffocating. Even though he’s close to being a middle-aged adult, he’s still my baby boy. When he is sick, or having bad times, or maybe suffering from a broken heart, I can easily be brought to tears of anguish just for the want of being able to help him. Would I tell him that? No. I think because he is older, I don’t want to seem like I am interfering. I try to walk the walk of a wise woman. What mother can’t relate?

When I watch that scene from the movie, I wonder how I would feel if that were my son? Mother Mary lived knowing that someday her son would fulfill the prophecy for which he was destined. She knew of God’s plan for Jesus and for us. Just because she was part of the holy circle of beings that surrounded Jesus, she was still a mortal mother. 

The mother’s eyes of Mary saw him grow up and away from her. She watched him become a superhero in their world, and then witnessed him tumble and fall from grace, a victim of those who felt threatened by him. Just like any mother, she suffered unbearable anguish for her son. Helplessly, she couldn’t change the course of his destiny. Through it all, she was a mother in the simplest, purest form, just like you and me. Through it all, she stood by his side, watching as the world betrayed and crucified him. In the end, John 19:25 (NIV) says, “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother…”

Just as Mary’s heart ached for her son, our hearts ache as we watch our children struggle. Through our own eyes as mothers, we mourn collectively for the mothers who have lost their children through death or some form of alienation. Our anguish is just as deep. 

Of course, we all know how the story ends. Helen Steiner Rice is quoted as saying, “A mother’s love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking.”

In the Boomer Babes Lifestyle Survey, I asked the question, “On a scale of 1-10, how important is faith in your life?” A full 94% rated their faith at a 5 or above. Out of the 94% who rated faith as important, 46% percent of those faith responders indicated the importance of faith in their lives with a score of 9 or 10. 

Lent is a time for sacrifice, but also for a time of renewal and rebirth. Perhaps, as mothers, we can use this beautiful holy Lenten season to affirm our love to our families. Perhaps, as mothers who quietly suffer and yearn for peace and a good life for our children, we can remember what scripture tells us in Isaiah 66:13, when the Lord reminds us, “As a mother comforts her son, I will comfort you.”

I would like to suggest since we are at the beginning of the 40 days of reflection, that you rent, download, or replay The Passion of Christ. Yes, it is the story of Jesus. However, it is also the story of his mother and those who loved him intimately. Whether it’s the first time or a repeat viewing for you, I ask you to put yourself in Mary’s place… through a mother’s eyes.

Blessings.

If you know of anyone who might benefit or enjoy this article, please forward the link or email to them. Thank you for joining us a wisewomenofage.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Christ-Full-Screen-Edition/dp/B00028HBKC/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=65isthne45wiw-20

 http://www.amazon.com/For-One-More-Mitch-Albom/dp/1401309577/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=65isthne45wiw-20

www.cafekolache.com