"If God is experienced as a woman or a mother, then? Fill in the blank." @lisagungor asked me this question during our talk at the Sacred Feminine gathering this year. The first thing that came to mind was my grandmother. When Meme had a stroke, her brain seemed to leave her. Her personality evaporated and what was left was a soft child. She would coo and sing notes like a broken bird. The only word she knew was 'Mama.' She would cry out for her mama, looking for her in the emptiness of a brain wiped clean. George Flloyd cried out 'mama' as the weight of a knee murdered him, as the reality of the end became clear. As life left his body and his spirit took to the work of changing the world, his plea was for mama. It's counter-intuitive in a society that celebrates masculine power. Why wouldn't we cry out for our fathers? My grandfather's hospice nurse, who ushered him into a peaceful death, told me that the most common thing people say at the end is 'mama.' In the final moments, they often cry out like they see her, just across the room. Somewhere in there was my answer. In our most vulnerable moments, we reach back to the safest place we ever knew. The temple that built us, our mother. The warm arms that held us when we couldn't speak, couldn't walk, couldn't be, without her. I think in the end, the final thing we know is our longing for mother. From where we came, we are saying the name of where we will return. Many people did not have mothers that loved them well or at all. And I hope if that's you, you've found strength in chosen mothers, in mothering your own heart, in the motherhood of good friends and safe love. My mother loved me well and still does. And I am forever grateful for that. It's been a big part of how confidently I walk through this world. Knowing she's there to pick me up if I crumble. “If God is experienced as mother...” That should be the given. All else builds on that. Today is my mother's birthday. I love you mom. Forever and after that too.