Always Serene

Madonna Del Granduca by Raphael

I have probably mentioned before that I love Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education. She places a lot of emphasis on atmosphere being vital for a child's education. I have been thinking a lot lately about how to improve the atmosphere in our home and recently came across this quote from Charlotte Mason's School Education, the third volume of her Home Education series. This idea really resonated with me, it is a long quote, but very worthwhile, so bear with me.

“It is not for nothing that the old painters, however diverse their ideas in other
matters, all fixed upon one quality as proper to the pattern Mother. The Madonna,
no matter out of whose canvas she looks at you, is always serene. This is a great truth,
and we should do well to hang our walls with the Madonnas of all the early Masters if
the lesson, taught through the eye, would reach with calming influence to the heart. Is
this a hard saying for mothers in these anxious and troubled days? It may be hard, but
it is not unsympathetic. If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for
their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let the
mother go out to play! If she would only have courage to let everything go when life
becomes too tense, and just take a day, or half a day,
• out in the fields,
• or with a favourite book,
• or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures,
• or in bed,
without the children, life would go on far more happily for both children and
parents”

Virgin of the Lillies by Bouguereau

I realized long ago that the oft quoted saying "If mamma aint happy, aint nobody happy." was more than a trite phrase. There is much truth in this saying. I know that I hold the key to the emotional atmosphere in our home. Too often though I am anything but serene. I tend to stress out when there is too much going on, and there is almost always too much going on in our lives. This is something I have been praying for help with for quite some time. I do think I have seen some improvement and I hope it continues.

The Sketch of the Head of Madonna by Leonardo Da Vinci

I decided to search for paintings of Mary and have included some of my favorites here. My two favorites are probably The Virgin of the Lillies; it is just so beautiful and truly "serene", and the sketch by DaVinci because she looks so tender and full of love. It was true, that in all the many paintings I looked at of Mary, the adjective that would best describe Mary's disposition is serene. Now I realize that these are just paintings, and we don't know that Mary was truly always serene, but I believe in the ideal. I know that we may never achieve the ideal in this life, but it is important to have that goal to reach for. I believe that the closer we can get to that ideal the better and happier we will be.

The Madonna and Child by J0rg Breu the Younger

I love the idea of surrounding ourselves with the ideal so that "the lesson, taught through the eye, will reach with calming influence to the heart." I think that is why the leaders of our church stress the importance of having pictures of the Savior and The Temple on the walls of our home. I also think that is why it is important to read as many uplifting books and articles on the ideals of motherhood as we can. I recently reread one of my favorite talks on motherhood by Julie Beck called "Mothers Who Know". There are many things she talks about that I know I am falling short on, but I love her talk because it paints the picture of the ideal mother and gives me something to work toward.

The Nativity by Carl Heinrich Bloch

I also see the wisdom in "going out to play!" It is important to find joy in life. Finding time to do those things that fill our reservoirs is necessary for keeping our sanity. Spending time with a good book, enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature, and riding my bike are all things that help fill me up and give me the energy to keep doing the things I need to to be a good mom. I also think that in this day and age too many parents spend too much time focusing on "me time" and too little thinking about what is best for their children. It is a difficult balancing act. One I am always trying to discern if I've got right. I think sometimes when "life becomes too tense" it is also good to "just take a day, or half a day,
• out in the fields,
• or with a favourite book,
• or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures,
• or in bed,
with the children." Sometimes what we really need is to reconnect with our children and strengthen our relationships with them. Go out and play with them! When we do that it can help remind us of the joy of being a mother and give us the energy we need to keep doing all the many little things that are required to keep our homes and children "running smoothly".

Madonna Adoring the Child with Five Angels by Sandro Bottecelli

Hopefully as I strive for balance, working toward the ideal, relying on the help of the Lord, I can become at least a more serene mother, if not "always serene".