“Mothers have martyred themselves in their children’s names since the beginning of time. We have lived as if she who disappears the most, loves the most. We have been conditioned to prove our love by slowly ceasing to exist.
What a terrible burden for children to bear—to know that they are the reason their mother stopped living. What a terrible burden for our daughters to bear—to know that if they choose to become mothers, this will be their fate, too. Because if we show them that being a martyr is the highest form of love, that is what they will become. They will feel obligated to love as well as their mothers loved, after all. They will believe they have permission to live only as fully as their mothers allowed themselves to live.
If we keep passing down the legacy of martyrdom to our daughters, with whom does it end? Which woman ever gets to live? And when does the death sentence begin? At the wedding altar? In the delivery room? Whose delivery room—our children’s or our own? When we call martyrdom love we teach our children that when love begins, life ends. This is why Jung suggested: There is no greater burden on a child than the unlived life of a parent.”
- Glennon Doyle, Untamed
Not only is your life a gift to you, but it is also a gift in the lives of those around you. You are valued and cherished not only by yourself, but by those that stay close to your heart. Always remember that you are far more important than you may likely realize.
self care ideas
♡ sit in the sun
♡ buy a bouquet of flowers
♡ wear soft comfortable clothes
♡ take a bubble bath
♡ listen to music
♡ get a snack & sit in the park & enjoy nature
♡ go to a farmers market
♡ take a walk
♡ take a nap
♡ go to bed early
♡ read a book
♡ journal
♡ make something
♡ go for a bike ride
♡ apply a face mask
Too much freedom can become slavery, if it’s not accompanied by the fear of the Lord.
Galatians 4:8-9 (ESV)