All right, we'll try again. Hello car sphere. If you're listening to this in the moment. It's mother's day and I just wanted to spend some time. And acknowledge. Hello. Marti 4 0 1 3 7 3. I have been thinking of you and keeping you my thoughts. Let's see if this water bottle. Will hold up. So let me know this. Can you guys see me and hear me? Okay. I just wanna make sure I'm not smothering the speaker too much. All that being said, if you're listening to this live. It's mother's day, but first, if this is your first time in this space, in the cottages sphere.
You're welcome here. We're so glad that you here. I'm Dr. Cherice Johnson. I'm a licensed clinical mental health therapist. Mindfulness practitioner and a talk show host, which is crazy to say. But more than anything, I come into this space because. Your important to me. And I think it's so important to show up in those. Everyday moments and have education and insight, but also just real talk. I come into this space, not only as a clinician and a consultant. But I come into the space as human, as someone who is neuro divergent, as someone who manages anxiety.
And someone who has walked through. Serious mental health struggles of her own. And I wanna normalize that. That can be the case no matter who you are, no matter how faithful you are to life and no matter what you have. Mother's day. Can be filled right with mixed. Emotions. If you are comfortable. What's today, like for you, right? For some of us share that with me. It is. An exciting and wonderful day. And. One of your favorite days of the year and you love celebrating, and you're gonna get to spend time with your mom.
For others, it may be a day where. You weren't able to conceive and while you may. Accept that there's still a part of you that feels like you're missing out on something because you haven't been able to participate. In a day like this, or if you're dealing with. Infertility and had struggles. Struggles around, um, having children. Yeah, gratitude. You might be in a moment where it's been a particularly tough season and you're very grateful that you are a mother and that you are healthy enough to be here.
It could be a number of things. You might be a bonus mom, all the things. My primary message. Is wherever you are today. I want you to be able to acknowledge it. I want you to be able to name it. And to honor it. And know that there is no. Right or wrong way to show up today. Um, you may start off feeling one way and then something happens. And it shifts you may still be grieving. The loss of a mother that isn't present, I can say in my own story. This is my 24th year. And I always know. Because you don't forget moments like that, but because also I lost my mother right around the town.
My youngest child was born. And each mother's day. Is very different. Yeah. Makes emotions grateful to have my mom here and right. And so each mother's day for me is, is very different. And I, I don't always know what to expect. And there are a lot of opinions. Opinions around what I should be doing. Right now I'm in Florida. By myself and the number of people that have thought, oh my gosh, why would you not want to spend mother's day with your children? And it's not that I don't love. My children, if you know me, you know, I will go to war.
For my kids, but I also wanted to give myself the gift this year of whatever I needed to be. I could be that. And here's why, and maybe if you are a mom, or you've noticed this in your mom, you can relate as mothers. We're still automatic. When it comes to making sure that we care for others over ourselves. So, if we're in any given situation, we are naturally pause and blunt and mute what we're feeling, because we want to be better than what we might actually feel, because we don't want other people.
To feel bad or we don't wanna bring other people down. Um, and that's okay. But it's also important for you to have the time. To appropriately. Just sit in. This is what today is like for me and what do I need? So this was my gift to myself to really. You know, spend the time stepping back and going, what do I need today? Yes. I'll still talk to my kids. I've spent time with my kids, that my kids and I are fine, but I want you to recognize that it can be complicated. And as many of you said, it's also an opportunity to hold gratitude.
I remember losing my mom. So early in life, I was 20. Five and literally going, I need to find other women. Who can be mothers in my life, right. Who can share with me the insight and the accountability that my mother would've given me that she's not here to do. So I also want you to consider. Maybe you have some people in your life who have been there for you and mother, you in a way that is really meaningful, even if they're not your biological mother. So here's my challenge to you today, your action step.
Cause I'm all about that. Two things. One. What do you need to name and acknowledge today? Maybe you write it in the space below. I wanna acknowledge. This I'm grateful for, right? This is your space to do that. It's an invitation. The other thing that I would have you consider is. Who is someone who has been a. Mother like or mothering or. Nurturing person to you. And I want to encourage you. To give them a call and let them know what they've been in your life. Uh, it took me a moment to see that share where you said, and also grief around not having kids.
And I want to thank you for that honesty and that courage. And I would imagine that you are probably really nurturing to other people or. If you have nieces and nephews, but I see you. I hear that. Thank you for that share. It is real. And there's absolutely a place for that. This mother's day. All right. So simple, simple message. Can be grateful. And have a lot of other emotions. All of those emotions fit. Name acknowledge honor, what you need and then reach out to someone who's been nurturing to you and let them know.
What they've been in your life, but most importantly, take care of yourself and I will see you soon.
