A Poem for Mothering Sunday

Dear Friends,

During this time of social distancing, I’ve asked two of my dear spiritual mothers to bring some extra nourishment to your inboxes.

I introduce to you today my spiritual director of the past ten years, Tina Lamb. Tina has been posting a poem in the porch of her church every week since Advent, and for this time, she will share it here as well. These posts will be collected at a new section of the website called Poems for Prayer.

For the next several weeks, you can expect a poem with a brief reflection each Sunday morning. May these poems and these questions nourish you as you pray in this unique time.

Today is Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday here in the UK, so this is where we begin.

Lissy

Clearances, In Memoriam M.K.H. 1911-1984.

A sonnet from a sequence of eight written in memory of his mother
by Seamus Heaney (1939 – 2013)

You will find the text here (We are unable to print the poem for copyright reasons!)

For Reflection:

I wonder why Seamus Heaney called these sonnets Clearings.

Are they spaces cleared for memories of his mother?

In your prayer time around Mothering Sunday ask God to help you clear a space to allow for some memories of your mother.

Ask God to remind you of the mothering others have given you. What/who helps to bring you life? What nourishes you?

How might God, as a mother, want to take care of you?