I ended the last segment of this 3-part blog post by saying that I still lack the connection of wise women friends in my life.  Let me clarify that by saying that I am slowly building a new and and exciting women’s community in my new area of the country, and yes, my women friends from my past, especially my soul-mates in Washington, D.C. still exist, and they are still as wonderful as they have always been.  The difference now is that I am not physically present with those particular women anymore to have those hours-long conversations on hikes, bike rides, cafés, and living rooms, although, admittedly, I am gaining that back with new friendships now.  So I have to ask myself, okay, then, my friends from my past still exist, and I have some deepening relationships now that hold promise, but still I need to find a way to continue to be connected in an on-going way that really inspires me.  What can I create that will provide this for myself and other women in my area?  And if I have such a need for on-going support, connection and inspiration from other women, are there other mothers out there who might need the same thing?  We need soul food for our soul work.  This was the birth of Peaceful Mama.  I definitely still do not have all the answers, but I now have a better idea of where to start.

The name Peaceful Mama might be misleading.  When I asked for feedback about the name of the business I wanted to create, a few of the mothers said “no way” to Peaceful Mama.  It’s too idealistic, they said.  Mothers aren’t peaceful, they’re usually trying not to lose their minds.  And I agree with this, wholeheartedly.  Am I a Peaceful Mama?  In some moments I can be.  In some moments I’m really proud of the way I create and allow connection with my son. Am I a Peaceful Mama most of the time?  Hardly.  I get stressed out by juggling work and day care routines, a cluttered house and a child who won’t go to bed just like anyone. The reason the name Peaceful Mama resonated with me is because it reminded me of my yoga days, filled with the loving support of good friends.  I was peaceful and happy in those days, much of the time.  To be peaceful in myself and in my relationships with others is a value I hold very dearly.  To be reminded of this value in my every day life is vitally important to me, because, if I’m lucky, it reminds me to take a deep breath and make good choices in situations where I’m likely to become unglued.  And as we all know, an unglued mama is not a pretty picture. Peaceful Mama is a way for me to remember to come back to myself, and to help other mamas out there come back to themselves.  It helps me, when I’m experiencing the middle-of-the-night anxiety I know all too well, to remember that I can make a difference for my son’s future.  I can.  We all can.  It’s all about how we choose to acknowledge, validate and use our gifts, and having friends support us in doing it.

Through Peaceful Mama, I hope to support others via some sort of combination of coaching, spiritual direction and the hope of communal and global transformation to help mothers everywhere with their soul retrievals.  We need each other.  Children, families and communities thrive when mothers are supported, connected and inspired.  Let’s create a peaceful and transformative world, one mama at a time.