Mother Blessing Way

My fellow female classmates at Jung Tao honored me with a Mother Blessing Way during our October session. This is a ceremony that focuses on celebrating a woman as she transitions from being a maiden to a mother. Rather than bringing gifts for the baby, those attending bring handmade items such as poems or songs and also advice for the mother-to-be. Of course, there's also lots of eating (everybody brought a covered dish of their favorite comfort food).

It all looks rather pagan, doesn't it? Especially with my belly covered with henna and a garland of leaves around my head. But it was so lovely, heartfelt, and special.

One of the best activities was that each woman brought a bead or a charm to string onto a necklace that I would take with me and wear during my labor and delivery experience. We also created a phone tree to activate as soon as my contractions began.