“Spiritual motherhood” is, too often, a phrase used as a consolation prize—as in, “Well, you don’t have the kids you long for, but you can be a spiritual mother!”
But, as anyone who has had a great mentor, sister, aunt, godmother, or female teacher, boss, or friend knows, this form of motherhood is no consolation prize. It’s at the heart of what it means to be a woman, and it is a calling for those of us with our own children and those women who do not have children of their own.
I wrote about five ways physical or adoptive mothers can also live out our maternity outside the home in my April article for CatholicMom.com.
In other news, Catholic Women in Business released episode 8 of our podcast, “Catholic Women Lead.” My co-president, Elise Crawford Gallagher, and I talk about our experiences of Lent this year, Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, and the significance of the presence of his wounds on his glorified body. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Content I Liked This Week:
I’m a devotee of St. Thérèse’s Little Way—and also struggle so much to follow it. This episode of the Coffee + Crumbs podcast reminded me that I need to get back to what had originally been a Lenten goal this year: rereading Story of a Soul. (The hosts aren’t, to my knowledge, Catholic, and they didn’t mention St. Thérèse. But what they talk about in this episode is very much in line with her spirituality.)
I was so glad to see this article in Bustle about a topic that I’ve been concerned about myself—the use of words like “toxic” and “self-care” to just be unkind. We have to take care of ourselves, but not at the expense of other people. It’s easier to just cut people out of our lives than it is to navigate complicated relationships—but, often, it’s not the right path to take.
I’ve admired Neha Ruch’s work at Mother Untitled ever since I discovered it after my daughter was born. So much of what she says on her blog and on her Instagram account speaks to my experience right now as a full-time caregiving mom and part-time business leader and writer. I loved her recent interview on Dr. Tracy Dalgleish’s podcast “I’m Not Your Shrink.”
Marlene Watkins, author of a book about Our Lady of Lourdes (which I haven’t yet read), wrote an interesting article for the National Catholic Register about the power of the Sign of the Cross—a good reminder!
As someone with multiple, often disabling, chronic physical and mental illnesses, there’s been something about the new narrative around disability that’s been bothering me, and I’ve had a hard time articulating what it is. This essay in the New York Times by Emma Camp, an editor with autism, helped clarify some of my own thoughts.
What I’ve Been Reading:
I finished The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears Into Your Leadership Superpower (affiliate link), by Morra Aarons-Mele, this morning. I won’t say much here—stay tuned for a review for Catholic Women in Business—but it was excellent. I highly recommend it for anyone struggling with anxiety who also feels called to be a leader in any capacity (including as a mother!).