By Judy Okolo

At some point in life, most of us discover a quiet truth: the people who hold families, communities, and even societies together are often mothers. Not always loudly. Not always visibly. But consistently.

Through the countless unseen acts of care, patience, and sacrifice that shape daily life.
Motherhood, whether expressed through raising children, nurturing relatives, mentoring younger people, or simply holding space for others, is sacred work. It is the work of giving life, giving love, and giving strength when others have none left.

Yet, like many sacred things, it often goes uncelebrated.

Mothering Sunday arrives this year in the reflective season of Lent and Ramadan, two spiritual traditions that invite us into restraint, sacrifice, and renewal. It is therefore a fitting moment to reflect not only on what mothers give, but also on what they need in return.
Because the truth is this: those who pour endlessly into others must also learn to replenish themselves.

Many women especially mothers, have been conditioned to place their own wellbeing at the bottom of the list. Work first. Children next. Extended family, community obligations, and social expectations follow.

Somewhere, far down that list, sits the woman herself.
But wellness cannot grow in depletion.
Nature itself teaches us that every cycle of giving must be followed by renewal. The soil must rest. The body must pause. The spirit must be nourished.

This is why the disciplines of fasting and reflection observed during this season are so powerful. They remind us that restraint is not merely about giving something up; it is about creating space for restoration.

For mothers and caregivers, this might mean reclaiming small but powerful rituals of wellbeing:
Taking a quiet morning walk before the days demands begin.
Nourishing the body with wholesome foods that restore energy.
Protecting moments of stillness for prayer, reflection, or simple breathing.
Asking for help and accepting it without guilt.
These may seem like small acts, but they are profound declarations: the one who gives life must also sustain her own.
A well-nourished woman raises stronger families, leads healthier communities, and models a powerful lesson for the next generation: that love and self-care are not opposites. They are partners.

So this Mothering Sunday, beyond the flowers, the messages, and the photographs, let us honour the deeper truth of motherhood: its sacred balance of love, sacrifice, and renewal.
And if you are a mother or someone who carries the nurturing heart of one consider this your gentle invitation.

Pause. Reflect. Replenish.
Because the sacred work you do for others becomes even more powerful when you remember to care for the woman doing it.

Until next time, lets glow intentionally.