I was trying to find a picture that would help me illustrate the quote, “you are mine, mine to me”, and the only one I could come up with had a “religious” expression. I wasn’t going to go there, but it was a trigger to other experiences I had during my recent trip to Italy. 

I was not raised Catholic, and my evangelical upbringing imprinted a certain spin on Catholicism. I’m not here to debate the merits of either, but to share some realizations I had during my recent exposure to Italian culture. 

One influence was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Of course this one example of influence is what often separates Catholics from non-Catholics. However, as you gaze, study and ponder the images of this young mom, and how she must have felt throughout the brief 33 years her son was on this earth, you can’t help but feel a deep connection to her experience. She truly was an influence on society, culture and of course the church. She experienced deep joy and deep despair. “You are mine, mine to me.”

Now where does this quote come from, “you are mine, mine to me”, you might be asking. Well, it really has no bearing on what I just wrote, or does it? I was watching The Jungle Book yesterday (don’t judge me, it was a rainy Sunday afternoon) and Raksha, the “mother” wolf of Mowgli, the boy-cub, said this to him as he left to return to the man-village. It was such a striking statement that I had to write it down. “You are mine, mine to me.” That deep pain she felt as she said goodbye to her “son”. The parallel between Raksha/Mowgli and Mary/Jesus is there and my mind went off in so many directions, from being a mother and  “motherly” myself. That possessive feeling we have towards our children whether they are actually ours or not is very real. It is something one cannot fully explain, but when you hear Raksha say those words to Mowgli, you know exactly what she meant. 

These connections to our children can be so profound that words cannot fully portray the emotion, and perhaps art cannot fully express or capture it either. However, both can help us reflect, ponder and even marvel at the many wonders in our lives. We have to allow words, art and nature take us to that place of influence and perhaps deep contemplative thought.