Want to change the world? Ask your Mom!

Guest Blogger Sara Kline, Mayor of Stow

Happy Mother’s Day! It’s time to celebrate, honor, cherish and remember mothers everywhere. Mothers come in all varieties, just like children and the ways we observe Mother’s Day are as varied and unique as our families. No matter how you and your family spend the day, I hope you have a beautiful day full of love.

Lindsay-and-mom-Sara

Lindsay and her mom, Sara

Since I’ve brought up love, I’m reminded that love requires action. Loving passively doesn’t allow anyone to realize the fullness and richness of what love can accomplish. Love is best seen in our acts, not in our words. We learn love from our first day through the acts of our mothers. I am so grateful to have a mother who taught me that action and love are a powerful combination. Love spurs us to act, even when it’s hard: getting up in the middle of the night to feed a crying baby, working overtime to provide the best we can for our family, driving back and forth to seemingly endless appointments and activities or taking the time to have a conversation when you are really tired—it’s love in action that accomplishes the most important tasks in life.

Mothers know better than anyone how to accomplish important things. We multi-task, put ourselves last, forgo sleep and regular meals and twist ourselves into pretzels to make sure everything is done for those we love. Mothers go to great lengths every day—against impossible odds—to make the world the best place it can be for our children.

Love in action spurred great changes over the last century for people who live with disabilities. Living equally as valued members of a community is only possible because love and action made it so. The right to work, vote, and have meaningful relationships came about because those who loved their children wouldn’t stand for anything less. Equal and appropriate education is truly a result of active love demanding fairness in schools.

Looking ahead, it will be mothers (and fathers) who will lead the charge, as we always have, to erase barriers to employment in the community, provide a wider array of appropriate educational options, advocate for more responsive and flexible social safety net programs that don’t penalize individuals who work or have assets, enhance our local public transportation system, and continue to dismantle old stereotypes. I believe mothers especially will also help lead the way on listening better to the wishes and desires of the people we love, our children, rather than making decisions for our loved ones. A strong voice and character is what all mothers want for their children and I know we will show the world, with love, that our children who live with a disability are the very best at speaking for themselves.

I am confident that with love, actions will achieve a world even more accepting and welcoming for my child and yours. It’s an exciting future to build together.

As we celebrate our mothers this coming Sunday, mark the holiday not only with love, but with actions that are worthy of the best in all of us. Best wishes for an action packed day filled with the people you love the most!

Want to meet another inspiring mom? Check out Super Joe’s mom Jen Towell — a mom who would go to the moon and back for her little super hero!

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