Biological or not:
Mothers are all around us
E
veryone needs a nurturing, mother figure in their lives. Some have mothers throughout their adult lives, while others lose their mothers at a young age. Others find ‘second mothers,’ but there are mothers everywhere, nurturing and encouraging those around them. Consider the woman who stands in the gap for someone, the older woman who mentors a younger one, the aunt who fills the role of a mother lost, the friend who mends a hurt, offers encouragement, gives great advice, listens when there’s no one else, makes a home-cooked meal or just refreshes and comforts. The definition of family is not always those one is blood-related to, but are those who are there for them and meet one’s needs; the “friend who sticks closer than a brother,” as Proverbs 18:24 states in the Bible.
This Mother’s Day, celebrate and thank those who nurture you Story and photos by Julia Kilmer
In fact, there’s a good chance that someone is nurturing you at this moment or season in your life. Gail Reed, OACAC Neighborhood Center director in Cassville, knows about nurturing others; she’s been doing it for 23 years. OACAC’s services are built around caring for people, and are especially meaningful to those who don’t have a mother figure in their lives. “When people think of OACAC, they think of Head Start or energy assistance,” said Reed. “But we do a lot of things that nurture others. We do parenting classes to help anybody become a better parent or caregiver. We also teach a Life Skills class, and every year in May, we host a Ladies’ Day where we honor ladies. “We feed ladies breakfast and lunch, and bring speakers on topics like health and beauty, stress or self-defense and do door prizes. Ladies don’t get enough
LaDon VanZandt, RN, Cassville Primary School nurse, shares a smile with student Rylen Holman to brighten his day as she checks his temperature. Nurturing others is part of what she does every single day, and the extra care and warmth she provides is just as important as the treatment in making students feel better.
recognition for what they do, so we just try to make it really special for them and make them feel nurtured.” The center also teaches about nutrition and time management. “For mothers, time management just goes out the window because you never know what’s going to happen with your kids,” Reed said. “We also do a quarterly clothing giveaway; we have more fun with ladies getting to pick out clothes they would not have bought for themselves.” Lack of time to take care of themselves are issues with young women today, Reed said, so the center stands in the gap to provide that nurturing.
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