Which Seeds are You Watering?

ANGER + UNDERSTANDING = COMPASSION

On the eve of Mother’s Day, how am I remembering my mother? Which seeds am I watering? Seeds of anger or seeds of compassion?

The more I learn about my parents and my parents’ parents- their upbringing, and the society that they learned and grew up in, the better I come to understand them. As I understand them better, I feel more compassion and less resentment.

Today I am thinking about how significant it is that both of my parents were Children of the Depression in Ireland, an already poverty-stricken country. What was that like for them, and for their parents? What basic beliefs did they learn about life? Scarcity, for sure. The basic belief that there will never be enough. Fast forwarding to 1958, they emigrated to Canada, with 2 young children, because there was no work to be had at home. No job or money, no home or family. No wonder they had such a mindset of scarcity. At the age of 64, I am just now understanding this. I am now realizing that I grew up with this scarcity mindset, and in some areas of my life I still have it, and I may have passed onto my own children. The truth is that abundance is the reality of my life. It is time to blow away the remnants of Scarcity. They do not serve me or my family well.

Now that I understand my parents just a little bit better, I find my compassion for them growing. I am watering the seeds of compassion through my increased understanding. I think I will let the seeds of anger just whither up and die. I refuse to water them any more.