About ten years ago, my husband John and I planned to visit our son Tim, who had recently relocated to Florida. Part of that trip included a few days at Disney World where oddly, I had a spiritual “Aha!” moment. To be honest, I wouldn’t have predicted that I would have any kind of a spiritual experience at Disney World, but I do believe that God’s voice is everywhere, even at Disney World, so I shouldn’t have been too surprised.
The day began like any other day at Disney. After waking, we dressed and ate breakfast then promptly went to catch the Disney bus that would take us to EPCOT. In the morning, these buses are absolutely nuts. They are filled to the brim with excited children and adults. Everyone was full of energy and anticipating a spectacular day at Disney World. And yes, many of the passengers, both children and adults, were proudly wearing their mouse ears.
However, by mid-afternoon, I was worn out and decided to go back to our hotel room for a short nap. I boarded the bus and found, unlike the morning, it was practically empty. There were just four of us on board. Besides myself, a mom and her two young sons sat across from me. The mom looked exhausted and the children were fractious. The excitement and energy were long gone, replaced with whining and a few tears.
The youngest child was waving around a plastic souvenir light saber, coming awfully close to giving his older brother a good whap. In a firm no nonsense manner the mom said, “Give that to me and sit down! You can play with it later. You can have a snack and a drink when we get back to the hotel room. You will just have to wait.”
A Smile Communicates
She said all of this in Chinese. I don’t speak Chinese, but that didn’t seem to matter. I looked over at this mom, and we both smiled and so much was communicated back and forth between us. She was apologizing for her cranky child, and I was telling her that I understood because I had been there myself. My smile also told this tired mom to try to enjoy even the difficult parts because they grow up so fast.
This same phenomenon occurred while I was visiting a beach in Maine’s Acadia National Park. As I was sitting on my towel, I did some people watching and zeroed in on families with little kids. Moms were speaking in French, Spanish, and Dutch, and even though I don’t speak French or Dutch and minimal Spanish, it was absolutely clear what they were saying. And, I noted, they were all saying the same things, “Get back over here, I need to put sunscreen on you.” “Watch your little sister.” “Do not jump off that rock.” “It’s okay sweetheart, it’s just a scratch. Let me give you a hug.”
The Same in Any Language
At the time, I remember chuckling and not thinking too much about it, but then when I had my experience on the Disney bus something clicked. I realized something bigger and more profound was going on. I understood in a deeper more complete way that mothering, nurturing and loving is the same in all languages.
I suppose prior to this “aha” moment, I would have said that, of course, mother’s all over the world love their children. However, I would not have understood how deeply every mother and, indeed, anyone else who “mothers”—whether it be grandkids, nieces and nephews, or the kids at church—are connected to one another as we work to raise the next generation.
This connection is not a tenuous thing. Regardless of where we live, what language we speak, what religion we practice, or what political party we belong to, this connection does not break. Like it or not, raising young humans binds humanity beyond any conflict or difference we might have with one another.
Realizing this profound connection I have with mothers and nurturers everywhere comforts me. Indeed, even with all the painful and unjust things in this world, it makes me feel a little better to know that I could be in a room with any mom from any place around the world and we would communicate just fine. After all, we speak the same language – the language of mom.
For Reflection (either individually or with a group)
Read the blog. Read it a second time, maybe reading it aloud or asking someone else to read it aloud so you can hear it with different intonation and emphases. Invite the Divine to open your heart to allow the light of new understanding to pierce the shadows of embedded assumptions, stereotypes, and ways of thinking so that you may live more abundantly. Then spend some time with the following questions together with anything or anyone who helps you reflect more deeply.
- Are there people with whom you have a deep connection such as the author described with other moms? If so, with whom?
- If not, why do you think that is?
- Do all those who are aging have any responsibility to help to positively raise the next generation?
Download a pdf including the Reflection Questions to share and discuss with friends, family, or members of your faith community small group.
Courtesy of The Center for Abundant Aging, advocating for a just, inclusive society conquering ageism;
delivering education and resources to transform how we think about elderhood; and
cultivating the riches of Abundant Aging through transformational collaborations.
Blog: Copyright 2025, Lisa B. Thomas, All Rights Reserved. Photo designed by Freepik.
