​Mother’s Day 2015 was a very difficult time for me, having just lost a child 3 months prior. Family and friends were very important, as they helped me feel included on this significant day. They came together with me through the acknowledgement of the loss and the acknowledgement of myself as a mother with tender care and support.​

Mother’s Day 2016 I was pregnant again and the holiday was a bit easier, though I still felt the bittersweet tug towards 2015.

​​And now this Mother’s Day approaching feels completely different from the previous two. I know the inner landscape of a mother’s love for her children firsthand. I know the pain of loss and the joy of love and life. I am learning how each day is a new day. A new day in which to have mistakes and successes, and to keep learning and growing. My loss of Eleanor still carries pain and one never fully completes grieving, yet the pain has softened and most often when her presence arises in my memory or awareness, I feel a sweetness, tenderness and joy.

​On this significant day, I also think of my own mother and my new found gratitude, which began in my 1st pregnancy. My gratitude is in the work it took in raising 4 children, while also working full time.  She gave birth to us and raised us. And we are here because she carried us and brought us into the world. Thank-you mom!

​It seems that Mother’s day is marketed to be a "happy day", but maybe that is the material marketing world at work to entice us to spend money. This approach is very limiting. What about a more soulful approach to mother’s day? In bringing this soulful approach, it could be a mother’s day where we also honor the mothers who have lost, who never became, as well as the ones who have been fortunate. We can also honor those who have lost their mother, never met their mother or feel far away from their mother. This more wholesome approach is important to me, especially as I see us and honor us not only as individuals, but as a group as a whole.
 
What makes one a mother? A quick, personal definition of a mother is a person who gives love, who carries creative potential and births new ideas. I imagine in tribe-based cultures that the women had ritual and ceremony-- all women of the tribe would gather and come together finding ways to honor each other and the significant thresholds that one crosses throughout life. What if this day isn’t about a woman’s accomplishments or success in raising children, and is really about women, and we all have the potential to be a mother in many different ways. Men too can also ‘mother’ and we find ways to honor one’s inner balance of masculine and feminine.
 
In conclusion, I honor each woman reading this today, and witness the ways that you bring your mothering into this world. I also recognize how each of us came from a mother and I have gratitude for our mothers. We are all connected by this thread.

May we help each other remember our strengths and gifts as women!

​<3

written by Janet Wepner

​Eliza and I have been enjoying spending time together and getting outside. She loves to get her feet and hands on the earth. John, Eliza and I went to Jacob’s Fork Park recently and had a family picnic. It’s one of the ways we can connect with one another and with nature. Also, Eliza is becoming more mobile, and her personality is shining forth more and more each day. These days are so fun, and it’s hard to do anything else, but be with her.
 
Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. What would feel renewing for you? Start envisioning what would feel renewing and nourishing for you. Below are some tips to help guide you in your exploration. These tips are based off my own research and personal experiences with myself and my family. For example, each of us over the winter got sick only once and on separate occasions. For each of us, our cold only lasted about 3 days. Below are our secrets to success! Let these tips be a guide for you in your own exploration of your springtime health and wellness. Remember to set realistic goals and doable steps. Find a friend to support you as you meet your goals. And last but not least, celebrate your accomplishments!
 
It’s a great time to renew yourself and come one step closer to living into your true, authentic self.
 
You are whole. You are light. You are love.

​4) Physical Activity: Find enjoyable exercise.
-I know that might sound like an oxymoron, ‘enjoyable exercise,’ but exercise should be fun.
-Put on some fun music and dance.
-Go outside. Sun in the morning or afternoon is best. At these times of day, and in short time increments you do not need sunscreen. Yet for longer times in the sun, or exposure to mid-day sun, you may need an organic sunscreen. View this website to find a healthy sunscreen. www.ewg.org/sunscreen.
-Go for a walk with a friend.
-Attend a class:  Yoga, Zumba, Tai chi are good examples.
-There’s lots of options for moving your body in positive, life-affirming ways!
-Balance your physical activity with positive relaxation and sleep.
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5) Supplements: Daily seasonal support.
-Vitamin C
-Vitamin D (don’t forget to get your sunshine! "Vitamin D is unique because it can be made in the skin from exposure to sunlight." click here to learn more.)
-Fish Oil
-Probiotics
-Olive leaf extract
-Essential oils such as Lavender, Wild Orange, Peppermint. (Applications: Use lotion or carrier oil before applying to skin. At night before bed, apply to the bottom of the feet or chest. During the day apply to chest or inside the wrists.)

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I hope you enjoy these tips in springtime health and wellness with the Wepners!