Alive Austin

Here is an upcoming group being offered by one of our amazing team members!

A personal Mother's Day thought...

Mother’s Day use to p**s me off!

I thought I got a raw deal when moms were handed out. I hated seeing everyone gush over their amazing moms every Mother's Day. For the 9 years she was with me, my mom punished me daily for being a boy. I was messy and she was a neat freak. We even had plastic covers on all our furniture. To say she didn't have a maternal bone in her body would be an understatement. I was relieved when my parents divorced when I was 9 and she left me and my older sister with my dad so she could move to Texas with her boyfriend. I wouldn’t see her again until I was in my mid-20’s as she was relieved to no longer have to do the Mother thing. And after that visit, another decade went by before I saw her again. She never made an effort to see me.
My mom died in 2016, and I was at her bedside telling her that I loved her and thanked her for being an amazing mom as she took her last breaths.

And I meant every word of it.

Through my own journey of self-acceptance, I have come to know that everyone is doing the best they can with who they are in each moment. As was my mom. She was always the only mom she could be. My judgment of her for most of my life was just a story I had created about her. It had nothing to do with her.
It was a projection of my own self-judgment…my own not-enoughness.

I visited her at least once a month for the last several years of her life, which I think meant the world to her…and to me.

So now when I read the stories people post about their amazing moms, I can relate. The anger born of my own self-hatred has long since dissipated and my view of my mom is now much more aligned with who she REALLY was.

I miss you mom.
I Love you mom.

I wanted to let everyone know of some new virtual workshops one of our therapists and a colleague are offering. You can check them out here!

Creative Healing Workshops mission statement: " To empower healing by understanding emotions and building skills with mindfulness and art"

https://www.gardeapsychotherapy.com/creativehealingworkshops