In a world that is fractured by difference, division and strife, we would do well to remember something that quietly unites many of us, motherhood. This state of being can be shared by any gender: for it is ultimately a quality of mind that is profound, life giving, life affirming, selfless and loving. And so, this next song I give you flows on seamlessly from the previous one, as what could express the selflessness of love more than the love of a mother. I give you a lullaby- “May you have wonder- a wish from every mothers heart”.
I think”mother love” in our ordinary world is one of the most profound kinds of love we can experience. It is a truly amazing experience to love in this way, and is a kind of love that we could consciously cultivate more of as it would benefit everyone! We don’t have to be a mum to contemplate this kind of love and develop it.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I never do anything by half measures! I throw myself into everything, body, heart and soul and often give myself ridiculously high bench marks and ideals to live up to! And so it was when I became a mum. I saw this journey as a spiritual/humanitarian one that would be my way of giving and growing in this world. I set out on a reflective, love and patience building, wisdom growing journey which will not end until I pass from this life. I have consciously parented my way through the highs and lows, the joys, the uncertainties, the boring or painful bits and it has been underpinned throughout by a love so immense, so continual, so nurturing that I see it as a gift of life. I have two beautiful, balanced, rounded, inquisitive, thoughtful, humorous and creative young men to show for it. They are my jewels, my treasures of whom I am immensely proud. They are not perfect and nor am I , but the journey of loving, giving selflessly makes us grow beyond our tiny selves to bigger more expansive selves. It creates a circle of love that can include whoever steps into that circle.
The bottom line of this love is a deep wish for your precious child to have happiness: to have a life that is good, filled with health, interests, friendships, love and peace. We are united the world over as parents in having this wish ( if that wish is not there, then it shows a lack or neurosis on the part of the adult concerned). This is an incredibly strong wish. Perhaps we could look a little wider and see that every child/every being needs to be wrapped in this care and gentleness. In fact, each child is a gift of life- all precious, all equal and each one unique. In one of my songs (When a child stands alone) I talk about the child being a “unique jewel of life’s grace”. That is what each one of us is, adults and children alike.
Look into the eyes of someone and it is not possible to not cultivate a feeling of closeness, warmth and respect. It is easy to do that with young children for they have not yet developed guile, complicated neurosis or ways of hiding through the wounds of life. We can remember that mother love it is a way of growing peace, care and harmony in this world- so healing the fractures, the ego, the cult of the individual, the divisions that exist between us.
So, here is my lullaby: Every Mothers Wish
V1
O child of tomorrow, blessing today
Your smile shows life beauty
And your eyes show the hope
The hope that your growing, will be gentle and sweet.
Chorus
May you have wonder
May you have truth
May you have magic
And a love that lasts for a million miles.
V2
The place that you come from
Is spacious and free
Hold on to this memory
Through the grit and the grime
So, your whole life’s turning , will be gentle and sweet.
Repeat Chorus.
It is not a long song- it does not need to be. It is from the heart and goes straight to the heart. It is simple and universal. It has a timeless, largely pentatonic, slightly medaevil/folky melody, which has a rocking feel to it…as if you were gazing at a wee baby in your arms and rocking it as you gazed into it’s soul filled eyes.
I have made it largely pentatonic as it would harmonise well. I intend to (when I have time), create a couple of harmony lines which I would sing too…..I messed about with it one day and it worked well and it had the feel of lots of mothers from all the corners of the globe singing this soul wish for the worlds children. I imagine a kind of simple zither style instrument doing a very simple harmonic arrangement. (I heard the perfect zither thing on the tv show called Vikings…..but I don’t know it’s name!). I am not sure whether to just do the chorus in vocal polyphonic harmony or all of it….maybe I could do some polyphonic humming to accompany the verses?
I have not sung this accapella in the pub-it just does not feel like a pub song! It is very soft, gentle …almost internal, private kind of song. Instead I sang it at a sitting room party of friends, one of whom commented”if only we could all be loved like that…”
Well…we can all love that …..parent or no parent. It just requires a loving cultivation and a continual wish to do so……..
Abi's World of Music 