"I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before, But the man there said the music wouldn't play..." Don McClean

 

The founding mothers of La Leche League International.

I was so sad this morning to hear of the passing of Viola Lennon, one of the seven founding mothers of La Leche League. Viola Lennon had ten children, and in addition to running her home and her family, she and her girlfriends founded an international organization that for nearly fifty years, thrived. People in my family don't seem to understand how important these women have been in my life, or why in this stage of my life when my children are far from nurslings, I would give these women and the organization they founded a passing thought. They seem surprised that when one of the founding mothers passes, I feel as if I have lost a beloved aunt or grandmother.

When I was a young mother, I had very few examples of mothering that I could follow. My own mother was far away. It was the mothers of La Leche League who mothered me. These were the women who provided me with an example of what being a mother could look like, and concrete tools I could incorporate into my life that would make mothering easier and more fulfilling. I was inspired by these women, with their large families, who were able to accomplish so much and help so many.

When I look back on the time in my life when I was the mother of small children, I do not forget how special those days were. Even when I was in the thick of things, sleep deprived, washing diapers, wiping noses, and chasing toddlers, I knew it was a special time. I wanted a large family, and have always been sad for the babies I did not have, but I loved every minute with the two I was blessed to carry to term.

I think it was easier for me to enjoy my babies because of the women of the League. I belonged to a subculture of society that gave me strength and love, and helped me to realize that as a mother, I had been given a sacred opportunity to nurture and protect my babies. In this subculture, my work was honored, and my happiness was shared. The grief I experienced when I lost Genevieve was also honored and understood. The women of this subculture gave freely of their lives. We loved each other's children. We cared for each other's families. If one of us was sick, a pot of soup was delivered to our door. The examples set by the founding mothers were like a good old-fashioned bowl of chicken soup - simple, nourishing, healing.  We were a tribe.

I cannot go back to that time, or to that place where I heard the sacred music of motherhood.  The organization has changed so much in the past decade, that for me, the music doesn't play. I have experienced these changes as a great loss. This is one of the issues in my life that has been too personal to write about, too difficult to share. The church bells all are broken, and now three of the women I admired the most have passed. Rest in peace, Mrs. Lennon.