ARE YOU MY MOTHER?
7/3/2025
Are You My Mother? is a children’s book written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman. It was published in 1960 and was a central book of my childhood.
In the book, a mother bird leaves her yet to be hatched egg in her nest to go find food. While she’s gone, the egg hatches. The baby bird, not sure of where his mother is, sets off to look for her.
Baby bird asks a series of animate and inanimate things this question: Are You My Mother? Eventually, baby bird makes his way back to the nest where he finds his actual mother. Alas, baby bird is again safe and happy.
Although my search has not been a physical one of trying to find my mother, I have experienced a search nonetheless. Unlike baby bird, I did not find contentment in my mother’s proverbial nest. Although I tried. Hard.
There is the idea of “Mother,” which includes any and all ideas about what a mother is or should be. And then there is the Mother energy.
I realize that what I was searching for, was to be fulfilled by the Mother energy. I searched high and low. I wanted so badly to find this sweet, nurturing, strong, present, solid energy so that it could FILL ME UP.
My mom died nearly 9 years ago. In her final days, I became acutely aware of my own hunger for connection. I saw how I had projected this hunger onto my mom, wanting and needing her approval and validation throughout our mother/daughter relationship.
My experience with her as she died made me aware that it was never my mom’s job to provide this nourishment for me.
It was my job. And what I have discovered is that this nurturing energy that I sought - is not separate from me. It is not outside of me. It IS ME. I AM THAT.
This does not mean that others do not benefit from my Mother energy. Absolutely they do. Freed from my distortions (things that block), my True Love is whole and heals. As is and does yours.
Interestingly my dad’s nickname for me growing up was Little Bird. At some point I graduated to Ellen Bird. Anything bird-related still makes me smile.
Alas, although we may be born in the nest, eventually it’s time to fly.
I think I’ve finally got my wings.
xoxoxo