A Tribute to Mothers

Mother's Day is coming this Sunday and for most of us, this is a great opportunity to celebrate the person who gave us life and nourished and loved us from birth. For many of us, our mothers are still alive. Some of us have tragically lost our mothers. Many of us are women and mothers ourselves. Some of us are not mothers but can still appreciate the intensity of relationship to our own mother. We all know how strong the bond between a mother and child is. This bond between a child and it's mother is transcendent of logic or rational thought. It's as instinctual and as basic as our need for food, water or sleep. This Mother-child bond is not just a human phenomenon, it is something that nearly all mammals experience.

As a tribute to my own mother and to all mothers on this Mother's day, I am sharing with you two articles from two different blogs (the links are below). I share these in the hope that one day all mothers, everywhere can live in a world where they are free to love, nurture and raise their own children.

The first article is a somewhat upsetting one to read, but I share this not to upset you. I think it's important that we all understand this. I'm not ashamed to admit that, until very recently, I didn't actually know that this was happening with mothers and their newborns. Especially for those of us who value our own mothers and those of us who are mothers, this is a must-read, in my opinion. The second article is not an emotional one but a very excellent scientific analysis- it's more medically-oriented. Either way, whether the ethical issues in the first or the humanitarian/health concerns of the second are what touches you, I hope you'll consider the great information in these two blogs.

http://challengeoppression.com/2010/05/03/a-cows-milk-is-not-yours-to-take/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/dairy-free-dairy-6-reason_b_558876.html

The facts are the facts, even if they're hard to read, let alone wrap our minds around. Even if you can't bring yourself to make a change in the present moment, it's important to be conscious of what we do to ourselves, our bodies, and to others. The sooner we come to grips with this reality, the better our world will be. For all of us. For all mothers.

Happy Mother's Day.

-Ethan