A Mother’s Day Tale/Midrash (originally posted Mother’s Day 2015)
At the beginning of time, God created the plants and the trees, the Sun and the Moon. God created the animals, the seas, Heaven and Earth and, of course, humans. But, did you know that when it all began, God created a small but powerful spark of energy? God loved this spark. It was so bright, so full of love. It emanated compassion. It actually made God, the protector of all, feel safe and not alone.
God brought this spark to Earth after the work of Creation was done. Now, God knew that this spark could not stand on its own. It needed to be put inside of something special – something that could protect it, nurture it and enable it to fill the world with its incredible light. And so God tried to put the spark inside some of the plants and trees – but the spark was just too strong. It could not be contained within leaves, stalks and bark. God tried to put the spark in some of the animals – but the spark frightened them. So God tried to put the spark in the Sun and the Moon, but, the spark kept falling down to Earth. So, God put the spark into man. But, inside man, the spark did not shine brightly. Its light did nothing to make the Earth more beautiful. And, so, God was frustrated.
As God thought about where else the spark could be placed, God was startled by the cry of the first baby born on the face of the Earth. As God looked down upon this baby, his mother lovingly picked him up, cuddled him, comforted him and rocked him to sleep. As she did so, God noticed that the mother’s eyes were radiating a magnificent light – a light that was very familiar to God. It was the spark! It had found its home on its own – inside of the first mother – the first human being who truly and madly and deeply loved another human being. Over time, the spark multiplied and found a home in all the mothers on the face of the Earth. And God saw this and was happy for it was good.
Some might read this and think that this sounds like a wonderful fairy tale. But, the fact is, anyone who is lucky enough to have been loved by a mother has looked into her eyes and seen the spark. It’s still there filling the world with incredible energy, love, compassion and beauty that can only come from a mother.
Take the time this weekend to look for the spark in the eyes of all those mothers you celebrate this weekend. Once you see it, realize how blessed you are. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, to my wife and to all the moms out there that make the world a more magnificent place.