I can remember my mother telling me, “Penny, being a mother can be a thankless job.”  Having two kids of my own, I can relate to that sentiment.  As mothers, we give and serve tirelessly, day in and day out, and often our efforts go unnoticed.  Thank goodness for Mother’s Day!  We have one special day each year to honour the love and service that we give throughout the remaining 364 days.  I guess we could look at it that way: that motherhood is a thankless job.  But, for many of us, the underlying cause of that outlook may be our unwillingness to receive.

In my new book, Give and Be Rich, I have an entire chapter dedicated to receiving.  You can’t have giving without receiving.  These things complement each other as nicely as your own two hands: they are both equally important, equally the same size, and equally present.  Receiving is just as important as giving, and—where mothers are concerned—I will bet that where there is a feeling of thanklessness, there is also a limitation on how much you, as a mom, are willing to receive.

Let’s face it: we’re nurturers by nature.  We want to care for, serve, feed and support our families, so we give and give of ourselves.  How many moms do you know that put other people’s needs before their own most of the time?  Probably most moms.

If we’re putting others before ourselves most of the time, we are limiting the amount we are willing to receive.  Open up fully to letting others give back to you.  Let people celebrate you.  Really receive the gifts they have to give.

Here are some ideas to be more receptive this Mother’s Day weekend:

1. Let others do things for you.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, or the way you would have done it yourself.  Let those who love and honour you serve you.  If they give you gifts, receive them fully.  Admire them.  Allow them in without feeling that you’re unworthy, or that the person has spent too much money.  Don’t respond with a “You shouldn’t have” or even a “You didn’t have to”.  Let people celebrate you, and receive their offering by accepting it fully.  Try it on.  Immerse yourself in the experience of the gift, the thought, the wrapping, or the effort taken to give it to you.
2. Take time for yourself.  Let others take care of themselves, or let others do what you want to do: your interests or movie choice, a bubble bath, or whatever pampering, peace and quiet or hobby you want to spend time toward.  Receive your time the way you want it to be, with no concern for how others would be happiest spending theirs.  This is your time.
3. Receive only the good feelings and thoughts that stem from doing things for yourself, receiving from others, and doing the things that you love to do.  Receive those feelings and learn about yourself, what you like to do, and how it feels to honour yourself by being focused only on yourself once in a while.  By feeling such things, we learn what our spirit truly wants, and we can arrange our lives accordingly.

I had a special young lady tell me that her young kids had some big breakfast-in-bed plans for her.  I smiled as she told me that, remembering those days of my kids bringing me breakfast in bed, and even of myself bringing my own mom breakfast in bed as a kid.  Receive the little things, the big things, and the memories this weekend.  Allow the yearly celebration of mothers to fill up your tank of self-love and love for mothers everywhere, and realize how important it is to keep your tank full by receiving just as much as you give.  Remember this: you can’t have one without the other.  If all you do is give, you will be spent in no time.

If you liked this post, you’ll love my new book, Give and Be Rich – Tapping the Circle of Abundance.

I honour my mom, all the moms, and especially the single moms.  Blessings for an abundance of all the things that really matter,

Penny