The Royal Song of the Day is “All the Weary Mothers” by Joan Baez. You can find this song in Rise Up Singing on page 114. The first verse beings, “All the weary mothers of the earth will finally rest…”. The last stanza is a dream about no more wars.
Duchess Susanna writes:
This song is dedicated to two people with whom I had interesting conversations today: One person was a mother, and the other person was a friend, helping a friend.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNXofOUmshM&feature=youtu.be]
More about why I chose this song:
When healing the universe, it is very important to take care of yourself. Don’t overlook your responsibility to care for and nurture yourself. You matter. A lot. Also, you cannot help others if you are sick or burnt out.
Second: Take care of your family. Take the time to notice when your family members need you. Sometimes, because we envision our parents in a certain role, we are too slow to realize when they need our help. Pay attention to when your parents need help, when they start to slow down, or when it is their turn to retire (not just from work, but from chores, housework, or certain responsibilities.) Also, care enough about all your family to help when there is a crisis, even if you are not usually close, or even if you are having disagreements.
Third: It is a very noble thing to help your own friends when they are in need. Many good people spend a lot of time on nonprofit charity organizations, or walks, or theoretical ways to help those in need. Then, when something happens close to them, they let fear or judgment get in the way of helping. There would be less strain on charities if we all took the time to care for those close to us. It is important to dive in and help in the unique situation where we know the person in need, where we have special insight into what is needed.
If your friend is on trial, be his or her support — you can trust that the system will do enough judging, interrogating, punishing, and harming, that no matter what your friend deserves, he also deserves your kindness. If your friend is in prison, care for her, even if she did something wrong.
Much of our culture is about consumerism and looking on the outside. We need to look inward, and nurture those parts of ourselves that need care and healing. And, we need to be open to the needs of the people around us, as much as, or more than, we need to spend time on big organizations, or easy ways to feel like a donor.