From womb to garden, web to nest—tender hands shape tomorrow’s rest, While bees hum lullabies through blooms, and rivers rock the earth in gentle rooms, All who mother in love’s design: child, creature, forest, sea—your care divine.

Invocation

“Gather round, all who have given life—whether from your body, your heart, your home, or your work. Today we honor not just birth mothers, but all who mother in the truest sense: the mentors who guide lost souls home, the gardeners who coax life from seed, the healers who mend what was broken, the teachers who plant wisdom, the activists who nurture justice, the friends who become family, and yes—the fathers who mother too.

We acknowledge the miracle of care itself—that sacred act of putting another’s well being before your own, of watching something small become something mighty, of holding space for growth whether in a child, a community, or a forest. In this moment, we recognize that motherhood is not bound by biology or gender, but flows wherever love and nurturing energy flows.

Let us speak today not only of those who mothered us, but of our own capacity to mother the world—to tend, to protect, to encourage life in all its magnificent forms. As we share this space, may we honor both the fierce protection and the gentle surrender that true caregiving requires.

Expanding the Definition (mother)

Every person carries unique gifts of care within them, far beyond traditional roles. Perhaps you’ve been someone’s guiding light through a difficult transition, or tended to neglected spaces in your community. Your maternal energy may flow through mentorship, creativity, or simply being present for others. Today, I invite you to recognize the countless ways you already nurture the world around you. What would it feel like to fully own your capacity to mother, whatever that means for you? Your care is needed exactly as it naturally expresses itself.

  • How has your understanding of “motherhood” evolved beyond traditional family structures?
  • What non-parental relationships in your life have embodied maternal energy?
  • How do we honor those who mother without recognition—foster parents, teachers, community organizers, or environmental stewards?

The Mothering We Need

The world is calling for a deeper kind of care—one that considers future generations and current suffering with equal tenderness. Sometimes the most radical act is to create pockets of safety in chaotic systems, or to advocate for structures that support rather than deplete. Ask yourself: Where do you see the need for nurturing energy in your sphere of influence? Your intuition about what needs tending is valid and valuable. Whether in policy, personal relationships, or environmental stewardship, your caring actions create ripples of transformation.

  • What aspects of maternal care do our communities, workplaces, or world systems currently lack?
  • How can we practice institutional mothering—creating policies and structures that nurture rather than extract?
  • In what ways can we mother ourselves and each other as adults?

Cycles and Seasons

Just as nature flows through seasons of rest and growth, our capacity to nurture ebbs and flows throughout our lives. Honor where you are in your own cycle. Perhaps you’re in a season of deep giving, or maybe you’re learning to receive care more gracefully. Sometimes our greatest gift is allowing ourselves to be nurtured. Remember that sustainable caregiving includes periods of renewal. What season are you in, and how can you work with your natural rhythms rather than against them?

  • How do different life stages influence our capacity to give and receive care?
  • What can we learn from nature’s cycles about sustainable nurturing?
  • How do we honor those whose mothering journey includes loss, infertility, or estrangement?

Collective Caregiving

The myth of the lone caregiver is exactly that—a myth. True nurturing thrives in community, where responsibilities and joys are shared across all identities and relationships. I encourage you to explore how you might both give and receive support more freely. What if caregiving became a collaborative dance rather than a solo performance? Consider how you can contribute to building networks of mutual care, where everyone’s well being is held tenderly by the whole.

  • How can we move from individual mothering to community-centered care?
  • What would it look like if all genders shared equally in the emotional labor of nurturing?
  • How do we support the “village” that raises children while respecting diverse family forms?

Legacy and Future Mothers

The seeds you plant through your nurturing today will bloom long after you’re gone. Whether through the children you raise, the spaces you tend, the minds you inspire, or the systems you transform, your caregiving leaves an indelible mark. I invite you to consider: What legacy of care do you want to create? How can you model a way of being that empowers the next generation of nurturers? Your unique expression of maternal energy is a gift that only you can give to the world.

  • What do we want to pass down to the next generation of caregivers?
  • How can we redefine success to include caretaking contributions?
  • What would a world look like that truly valued all forms of mothering?

Closing Words

“As our time together draws to a close, let us carry forward the spirit of openness that brought us here—open arms that embrace without condition, open hearts that make room for all forms of love, and open minds that see the infinite ways care manifests in our world.

We’ve honored today not just the mothers we know, but the mothering we all carry within us. May each of us leave this gathering better equipped to nurture ourselves, our communities, and our shared earth with wisdom and compassion.

Like the ever-expanding circle of care we’ve discussed, may our commitment to inclusive celebration ripple outward—touching those who need to be seen, supporting those who go unrecognized, and creating space for all who give life in its countless forms.

As we return to our paths, let us remember: wherever there is tending, wherever there is growing, wherever there is patient love transforming the world one small act at a time—there is the sacred work of mothering. And in that work, we are all connected.

Go well, nurturers all. Until we gather again, may your arms stay open, your hearts stay generous, and your minds stay curious about all the ways love finds to express itself in thbeautiful, broken, ever-renewing world.”


Bishop Niki Faldemolaei
Madonna Interfaith Community
Madonna Ministry International 501(c)(3)