Moms keep the nation’s spirit up

“I feel like I have five jobs,” retorted a friend of mine in a recent phone conversation.

It has been a rough year and an equally fearful time for mothers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, parents have all had to grapple with the added roles of teachers, keeping cooped-up young ones occupied and fed, and being the occasional IT technician.

Mothers, however, have been shouldering a greater share of the burden.

But in the midst of challenges, there are lessons and opportunities.

The pandemic has forced everyone to slow down. For some, the pandemic was the ultimate reset, recalibrating us to be still and experience the milestones, whether big or small, that would otherwise have been missed.

For the second time around, Mother’s Day 2021 is shaping up to be like last year’s. Locked down. No fancy dinners, no family flying in for the big gatherings and no kids coming home from school with the usual Mother’s Day art and craft gift.

But, as all moms know, keeping their children safe is the highest priority. But the maternal instinct isn’t just for moms, as keeping our mothers safe should be a top priority, too.

Some may argue we should not need a date on the calendar to remind us to salute our mothers – and they are right – but if there was ever a time when mothers needed a shared morale boost and reciprocity in love, it is this year.

Words may be inadequate, but these come close: ‘You are loved’; ‘We are lucky to have you’; and ‘You are more than enough!’.

On this unique Mother’s Day, I think of the moms everywhere who bravely responded to the call to keep a nation’s spirit up during a year of unimaginable stress and adversity.

To all mothers employed and unemployed, near and far, young, old, and expectant, struggling or managing: Thank you. Your resilience in these unprecedented circumstances is nothing short of inspiring.

Future generations may reminisce on this moment in history and attempt to piece together what helped humanity survive. While the science, no doubt, will have worked to heal our bodies, it is the mothers who will have healed spirits and allayed fears with their incredible love and compassion, the true heroes to their children, and by extension, the nation.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms. Enjoy all the calls and cuddles.

Kaelanne Jordan is a valued staff member at Catholic Media Services Ltd. Joining the team in 2016, she is a news and feature writer, proof-reader, and media liaison. And when she’s through with the long day’s work, seven-year-old Amani calls her mommy.

Photo by Aadel Chin-Albert