Wheel of Fortune

MotherPeace

The Motherpeace Tarot was created in the late 1970's by Vicki Noble and Karen Vogel. It is a circular deck and feminist and matriarchal in its leanings. Sunday is Mother's Day and I have been thinking about mothering, feminism, work in general.

My husband and his sister are dealing with an aging mother in the early stages of memory loss and dementia. Today, they have decided that they need to take her car away as she is no longer safe to drive. It will not be a happy Mother's Day for her.

I do not know if I will get to see my grandchildren this week-end, it is their week-end with their mother. But sometimes she doesn't mind relinquishing some time...so perhaps....I will probably spend some time Sunday with my son, father of the 4 grands.

I've always considered myself a feminist, but here at middle age I'm beginning to rethink what that means.

One of my dearest friends is a businesswoman, she makes a six-figure income...but her days are stressed and often her relationships with her children are strained.

On the other hand, two of my closest friends have been stay-at-home mothers all of their lives. Now both are grandmothers and one a greatgrandmother at age 60----she had her first child at 16...and I think there lives are probably the most successful I know. Though neither are affluent, they are comfortable materially. They also have the luxury of time, they spend much time with children and grandchildren and are available, without work constraints, to respond to both times of celebration and emergency.

My husband does not make enough of an income for me to not work and for many years I was a single mother, so work has always been necessary. But I long to have time to be nothing but "just a housewife"...."just a mother"...."just a grandmother"....I suppose that's very reactionary.

I heard a news report that working mothers have less than 3 hours daily to spend with their children. Somehow, I think we have been cheated....

It's not possible to have it all....we need to figure out ways to define our lives to make them sane and balanced. I'm not certain that we've arrived there yet.

Happy Mother's Day!