Of the multitude of motherly qualities that we cherish, providing safety for the young is right at the top.

Mothers nurture safety. They cling to it tenaciously. Mothers provide our first warmth. Our sustenance begins in her womb, flows from her breast and infuses us with the safe inner havens we all need to go forth and to be productive.

If there is hope for us, it began with Mother’s Love. We will endure and save ourselves and our world, if we can just recall our shared connections to the earliest lessons we learned from her. The way of mothering is the way of safety. It is the way of peace. It began with her first sweet whispers in our tender newborn ears. We honor those echoing whispers throughout our lives. Every time that we are kind to a loved one—or to a stranger—we sing the soft chorus again.

Today, on Mother’s Day, my lovely wife Debra and I are joined by our daughter, her boyfriend and his parents. We’ll all be sharing a meal. Then we’ll find excellent seats to hear Amy Goodman speak to us at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon.

Amy is on a 100-city tour to promote public radio. Here is how she sums up its importance to all of us:

“I believe the media can be the greatest force for peace on Earth, because it provides a forum for people to hear each other. And that’s the beginning of understanding. And understanding is the beginning of peace.”[1]

What a wonderful way to celebrate—being with our cherished Moms and hearing a leading peace advocate tell stories to inspire us.

In Portland, support KBOO radio[2] where heroes volunteer and work for peace and justice in our communities.

Hear the echoing whispers. Share. Understand. Pass it along—please.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Images: Two heroes—Debra who is my rock, my anchor, my lush bed of roses!
And Amy Goodman,[3] columnist, author and host of “Democracy Now!” the war and peace report; shown here addressing the 2010 Green Festival.

[1] See: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/5/callings_in_radical_new_book_storycorps
[2] Go to: http://kboo.fm/
[3] See: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amy_Goodman_in_2010.jpg photo author Chris Eaves, image in the creative commons, license at this link, no changes have been made.