A story about Motherhood.
“Behind all your stories is always your mother’s story. Because hers is where yours begin.”
This quote from Mitch Albom rings so true – especially on a Sunday like today, where we honor, remember, love, forgive, shower with flowers, visit and miss our Mothers. Because behind all our stories there is always our mother’s story. Because her story is where ours begin. My Mother’s story is where mine begins.
There are so many wonderful meaningful stories about mothers and motherhood in our Bible, but it all starts in Genesis. It all starts with the beginning of beginnings. It all starts with Eve.
For the first 53 verses of the Bible, God does all the talking and acting. “Let there be light,” God says. “Let the land produce living creatures,” God says. “Be fruitful and multiply, “God says. And upon creating all things bright and beautiful, God saw and said it was all good.
It is not until the final verses of Genesis chapter 2 that we encounter the first human words – and then we might say that we have not stopped talking!
The story of man begins with a love poem about a woman and a mother: Eve.
“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh,
She shall be called “woman”
For she was taken out of man.”
This love poem appears in the second creation story of Genesis, the one following the wonderous creation story of the 6 first days of creation, light, words, earth, heaven, trees, stream, sun, moon, stars and humans. In this second story God forms man from the dust of the earth, fills him with the breath of life, and places him in the garden of Eden – and he is given the divine task to name all the animals in the creation. And for the very first time God as a creator, observes a part of creation that is not good. “It is not good for the man to be alone,” God says. So, the woman is made. Flesh of his flesh. Bones of his bones.
The story of human relations begins, and Genesis tells the story about desire, curiosity, temptation and eventually fall. As Eve takes the first bite of the apple of the tree of knowledge and shares it with Adam – their eyes are opened in so many ways. They realized they are naked, they feel guilt and shame, and they hide from God. And the never-ending blaming game begins. You started. No, you started. It is your fault. The man blames the woman, the woman blames the serpent, but God holds all accountable. The serpent must slink on its belly in the dirt, the man must toil on inhospitable land and the woman must give birth to children with pain and endure dominance by the man. The latter part is a different story, but the first part of motherhood, childbirth and pain is a vital part of the story told today about our personal story that is intertwined for better and worse in our mother’s story:
“Behind all your stories is always your mother’s story. Because hers is where yours begin.”
It is within this somber context of the creation story and story about human relations, that Adam finally assigns the woman with a name other than woman: He calls her Eve, which means “life” for she is to be “the mother of all living.”
So, the blood and the spirit of Eve, in a symbolical, spiritual and religious way, courses through each one of her daughters. We are women, and some of us are mothers. We are living the same kind of life that the first Eve and the first mother was to live as she settled in the Land East of Eden: a hard struggle some life, a painful childbirth and equally the blessings and the struggles of being a mother. We are women and mothers, just like Eve: we too are fallen, blamed, misunderstood, loved or despised. But each one of us and our story, is connected through time to our own mother, grandmother, great grandmother – and to the creation stories first mother Eve. We too feel the same love for our children; we too worry like she did; we too might experience heartbreak and sadness in our motherly experiences; we too want the absolute best for our children, and we too love them to the moon and back, to the end of the world and we would lay down our lives for our children, just like Jesus describes the perfect great love in today’s Gospel.
Because Eve is the first woman and the first mother of the Bible, it is remarkable little that we read about her. There are a few facts:
Eve was the first in a lot of things: the first woman, the first mother, the first mother of a murderer, and she was the creative founder of the garment industry – sewing fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. According to most of the artwork – and there is a lot – Eve was young, beautiful, strong, and tempting like Scarlett Johansson. According to old Jewish Talmud “All women in comparison with Sarah are like monkeys in respect to men, but Sarah can no more be compared to Eve than can monkeys be compared with man” So, can you really blame Adam for biting the apple?
But even if is all about Eve… we do not know much about her spiritual emotional life – other than what we might imagine.
Lately I have been reading a remarkable book by Swedish Author Marianne Fredriksson called “The Children of Paradise.” It is an acclaimed trilogy of three individual books: 1. The Book of Eve. 2. The book of Cain. 3. The saga of Norea. All books were published in the 1980’es and are very thoughtful reflections on motherhood, relationship, forgiveness, guilt, love and life. All from the perspective of Eve, Cain and the last child of Eve the girl Norea. (According to Genesis Adam and Eve had 3 children Cain, Abel and Seth.)
Especially the first part, The Book of Eve, has been fascinating to read, as Eve as the first mother travels back to her own childhood and the Garden of Eden to find answers on why, how, when and where. When her oldest son Cain kills her youngest Abel, her world is shattered into piece and she need to find some answers about guilt, forgiveness, life and love. It is a wonderful saga about Eve and her life as a woman and mother… and later mother-in-law and grandmother. A wonderful saga about those deep deep emotions, struggles, blessings and curses that womanhood and motherhood was and still is.
Where does our story begin? With the story of our mothers – and respectfully fathers. Our stories begin with those who gave us life, nurtured us, raised us, loved us, abandoned us, separated from us, nagged us, scolded us or spoiled us. Mothers come in so many forms, and motherhood is a story of birth, but also of choice, care, commitment.
Remember for a moment your mother and the beginning of your story? Embrace it with love and gratitude, or with forgiveness and reconciliation – but do not give into the bitterness, the anger or the hate. Built on your story, do not let your story be shaped by bitterness, an anger or hate…. Like Eve in the wonderful book, after much soul searching and meaning searching into all her struggles, sadness and loss, - as it is written in the book, when Eve meets Gabriel in a bright enlightening conversation on the brinks of the Garden of Eden:
“Truth can never be taught, Gabriel said, it has to be recognized. Live in trust, and then love is possible. “
“My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you, and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light.”
These words of wisdom in from Proverbs. On a Mother’s Day as today we are reminded that our own story begins with our parents’ story, and that our own story is shaped by the commandments and the teachings. As lamp and light in our lives, we should bind them upon our hearts, tie them around our neck, so they will always be with us, speak to us and lead us.
Sometimes it might be that we remember the strict rules and punishment, the many nagging teachings, just to be reminded not to repeat them to our own children or grandchildren.
Sometimes we truly carry the teachings like lights for our path, in recognition of our mother’s love, care and wisdom.
Just like John Mayer sings in my favorite Mother’s Day Song:
Fathers be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do.
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers.
So, mothers, be good to our daughters too!
“Abide in my love,” Jesus said. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. …. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
Love one another. Mothers and Fathers be good to your daughters and sons. Daughters and son be good to your mothers and fathers. Friends and family be good to each other.
Plant good seeds. Bear good fruit.
Live in trust, and then love is possible.
“Behind all your stories is always your mother’s story. Because hers is where yours begin.”
Amen.