Mother's Loving Anguish

Sandy expresses our feelings so wonderfully about our angel Brooke - we can’t comprehend how it’s been a month since she was called home. I wrote the below a couple months before she passed, it captures some of our feelings and I shared it at her memorial. Thanks for all the love and prayers for our family. I love the photo of Brooke and I riding, she hates helmets and i’d tease her that her “atomic bomb” hairstyle she wore would probably be as good as a helmet!❤️

Mother's Loving Anguish

Passionate union, the creation of life
Divine spirit descends, anxious and bright
Loving watery embrace, nurtures and protects
Mother's tears of joy, happiness and delight

Physical suffering and pain has begun
Morning sickness, nausea, back aches sore
Weight gain, stretch marks, emotions strange
A tiny foreshadowing of what's in store

The Lord God to Mother Eve did speak
"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception"
"In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children"
Bravely, this she knew, there was no deception

Simeon to Mary prophesied these words
"A sword shall pierce through thy own soul"
The purest virgin, likely didn't comprehend
The suffering to come, the emotional tole

These prophetic words, universally apply
To Mother's tender soul and charitable heart
For when her child suffers, innately so does she
Through searing pain and anguish, she takes part

The is no severing the emotional umbilical cord
The bond forged in utero unbreakably strong
Birthed in her blood, water, and spirit divine
Forever connected, Mother and child belong

Some bright candles, their flame snuffed out
Before the first breath of life they can take
Others a few breaths struggle, then back to heaven fly
Mother’s anguished soul, indescribable heartache

Her surviving offspring, subjected to mortal fallen world
Where the devil and his angels cunningly reign
Inspiring abuse, rape, heinous wicked deplorable acts
Consuming innocent victims with unspeakable pain

Suffering comes in myriad forms and shapes
Illusive mental illness, hidden in unneeded shame
Only those who suffer know the soul wrenching anguish
Mental emotional suffering, a hot knife burning aflame

So empathetic Mother, stabbing agony endures
Often watches as monstrous addictions take hold
Shackling victims in their grip of destruction and guilt
Her outstretched loving arms always ready to enfold

Even God looked upon earth “and he wept”, so Enoch asked
“How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears
as the rain upon the mountains?” – “wherefore should not
the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?” God declares

Heavenly Mother - the anthropomorphic heavens that weep
For Her children, for you Mother in your painful anguish
Your suffering is also hers, perfect goddess empathy
Heavenly Mother will tenderly nurture your languish

God – Mother and Father sent their perfect only begotten Son
Did Mother fill the bitter cup with her heartbroken tears?
Dregs of sorrow, spilling forth as perfect heavens weep?
The liquid embodiment of all suffering, pain and fears?

Christ in Gethsemane, willingly drank the bitter cup
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, to tremble because of pain,
and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit”
Through Christ’s infinite atonement, healing you can obtain

Christ’s atoning sacrifice was not just for sin as Alma explains
“Suffering pains and affliction and temptations of every kind”
“he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people”
Mother, to take your anguished pain, was Christ’s atonement designed

A final thought, from my mentor, Julian of Norwich in 1373
On death’s door, she had many visions of merciful Christ
She often “mourned and sorrowed” because of sin and pain
Jesus answered, He who performed the infinite sacrifice

“all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”

To this I can testify!

-Brett Folkman 2018
Doctor of Ministry