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We learned to ask for mercy
From our mothers before we
Understood that mercy meant mother.
We pray, Mother, and our mothers
Tell us to pray to our Father.
We forgive our Father for the storm,
We forgive our Father for the flood,
We forgive our Father when the earth shakes.
We extend forgiveness to the Father
For things we cannot understand,
Yet struggle to extend mercy
To the mother who is only human.
As children, we needed our mothers
To understand us.
As adults, sometimes we must learn
To understand our mothers.
Having mercy on your mother
Doesn't mean pretending she never hurt you.
She was a child before she was a mother,
A little girl with experiences that shaped her,
Making decisions with whatever understanding
And resources she had at the time.
Like everyone else,
She was imperfect,
Carrying responsibilities
She may not have been prepared for.
Why can't we have mercy on our mothers
When they've hurt us, disappointed us,
Or failed us?
We cried, "Mama!"
We cry, "Mama!"
"Call my mama!"
"I need my mama!"
And Mama says,
"Child, call on your Father."
We spend our lives calling on Mother,
While Mother teaches us to call on Father.
But who taught Mother
Where to turn when she needed mercy?
