Midwest Mary

Step away and things happen. Lots of things.

In my post on March 26, I said I needed to take about six weeks off from blogging to work on a few projects and travel. During that time, I went to Disney World with my daughter and grandsons, visited friends in Austin, Texas, and vacationed with some family members in Cancun, Mexico.

I also caught up with a few projects around the house, worked on a manuscript, began a quilt for my new grandniece, and did a little blogging. (I’ll catch up on fellow bloggers’ posts over the next few weeks.) There was an anthology, Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, released that included five of my poems.

During that time, lo and behold, the world kept turning. We experienced an array of events, including the dance of the tariffs, swinging market, and continued conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Sudan. We’ve also learned of airstrikes between India and Pakistan, all of which saddens me deeply.

Additionally, we witnessed the passing of beloved Pope Francis, felt the empty interim between popes, and gained a new pope, one our country is particularly excited about. In addition to being American-born and having grown up in the Chicago area, Pope Leo XIV is said to be a calm, compassionate, approachable, intellectual, and thoughtful man. He has the heart of a missionary and is devoted to the Lord. What a blessing this man is for our church and the world!

Now, we are into spring and gardening, and in the U.S., we celebrate Mother’s Day. I’m privileged to have had a wonderful mother and grandmothers, and have children, children-in-law, grandchildren, and godchildren as well as nieces and nephews who fill my heart.

In honor of this holiday, here is a prayer I previously posted (with some new edits) that expresses the various types of mothering and asks for these women to be blessed.

A Mother’s Blessing

Lord,

Bless the tired mom.
Bless the first-time mother.
Bless the loving, devoted mother.
Bless the mother who lost a child.
Bless the mother who is overwhelmed.
Bless the mother who protects her child.
Bless the mother who raises her child alone.
Bless the mother who unknowingly harms her child.
Bless the woman who mothers a child who is not hers.
Bless the mother who does without to care for her child.
Bless the mother who doesn’t know how to love her child.
And please, Lord,
Bless the mother who cares for a child with disabilities.
Bless the mother whose child does not love her back.
Bless the mother who cannot hear or see her child.
Bless the mother who works long days for her child.
Bless the mother who is separated from her child.
Bless the woman whose arms ache for a child.
Bless the mother who loves a difficult child.
Bless the mother whose child is unwell.
Bless the mother who’s incarcerated.
Bless the mother with disabilities.
Bless the expectant mother.

Lord, bless us all.

©Mary K. Doyle, 2025