Liza Ely
Liza Ely is an eWomenPublishingNetwork member and the author of Conscious Acts of Grace: Gifts of Love and Kindness at the End of Life. As we all think about Mother’s Day and the perfect gift to give her next Sunday, Liza suggests we think not so much about flowers, cards or big meals and more about the things that are truly priceless.
In her book, she advocates for opportunities to create what she calls “Celebration Circles”, which she describes this way: “Imagine this. You are sitting in a circle of family and friends. You look around, one to one, and you see all the smiles and love in the room. Each person, in turn is saying things like this: ‘Because of you, I had one of the most wonderful experiences in my life – thank you’, or ‘When you took the time to really listen to me, you really made a difference in my life,’ or ‘You were my role model. If it hadn’t been for your example I wouldn’t have become the person I am today,’ or ‘I want to honor you for what you’ve done for so many people.’
Wouldn’t that be the perfect gift for mom? The people she loves and who love her telling her what she’s meant to them? What better occasion than Mother’s Day to create this opportunity for your family and circle of friends. You don’t need money or a big commitment of time to create one of the best gifts anyone can receive.
And for those of us whose mother (or grandmother is already gone), those left behind can create a celebration circle to remember her as well. It’s easy to procrastinate, thinking that you can always do this next year, but now is always the right time to tell our moms how much they’ve meant to us.
If you want more details about how to set up a celebration circle, see Liza’s web site at www.CenterOfWellBeing.com and give the most memorable gift for Mother’s Day!
Conscious Acts of Grace
This Mother’s Day is the one year anniversary of my father’s passing. Mother’s Day is the last day he was able to converse with all of us and he spent the day, tired as he was, giving the children and the grandchildren messages of remembrance of him and life thoughts for the their future. I love the idea of a Celebration circle as it is representative of the circle we formed around his hospital bed. We plan on creating one this Mother’s Day with our Mother, his life partner and love. We in the circle should acknowledge the year she has passed through while adjusting to being alone and should also celebrate her strength in learning to live again without Dad. Thank you for the wonderful message of hope.