When seeking inspiration to write this blog, I began mulling over the word “mother.” It’s a simple enough term, right? I decided to look up the word to see if I’d get anything that would help.  And boy, did I get what I was looking for.  This simple and seemingly obvious word packs a punch in so many ways. There are lots of ways in which it is used in our language.  Of course, there are the female parents who have served as a mother, stepmothers, “Big Mama,” “Mom-Mom, grandmothers, bonus mothers, friends, mentors, surrogate mothers, “Mema,” “Nana,” etc.   Hopefully, all who have filled these critical roles through the years will be acknowledged and celebrated by the people they have cared for today.

The concept of a “mother” is more profound than it seems at first glance. When you consider the many ways in which we tend to use it, you begin to see that there’s a richness to this term that extends beyond family ties.

Consider the term “Mother Nature.” This embodiment of the natural world reflects the nurturing, life-giving aspects we associate with motherhood. Like our own mothers, Mother Nature is a constant presence, subtly ensuring that life continues in balance.  I certainly would not be here if not for my mother.  I don’t mean solely mean in the physical sense. All the ways she nurtured me and provided things I could not have even asked for shaped me into the woman I am today.  She was, in a word, extraordinary.  And boy, do I miss her, but I am so grateful to have had her.

Think of the phrase “the mother of invention.” It suggests that this invention is bigger than all the rest! Significant, game-changing, noteworthy, defining…  When I think about using  “mother of” as a way to acknowledge the significance of something: it makes sense.  It conveys the concept that an invention is so influential it’s as if it has given birth to a new way of life or thought.  What is bigger than birthing and/or nurturing another human?!  The internet and A.I. are extraordinary and have impacted our existence in incredible ways, but nothing compares to the creation and nurturing of another human. Humans are the vehicle from which all of these inventions flow, and those who filled the role of “mother” created and nurtured those humans.

You don’t have to be “the mother of” an industry to deliver something amazing to the world.  You just have to decide to nurture the people who are here, and by that act, you become “mother of…” and there is not a more meaningful accomplishment than that!  Happy Mother’s Day.

Dr. Lisa

Our Theme song is “Mama” by Boys II Men.