Meet our first MOM (Mama of the Month!). Jody is currently mothering six children—five boys and one spunky little girl. After giving birth to four boys in a row, Jody’s twins joined the family from Sierra Leone through what she describes as the “tragedy and miracle of adoption.” (You can catch up on all things Jody here at her personal blog.)
We “sat down” with Jody (we really just sent her a message on Facebook, but it sounds so journalistic and official that way) and asked her some questions about her view on motherhood and the world. Here’s what she had to say:
What is the biggest lesson you learned from your mother?
My mom was the epitome of service and empathy and thoughtfulness—of seeing others, paying attention, and moving toward action with empathy and compassion.
What is the biggest lesson you've learned from motherhood?
Being a mother added a fierceness to my compassion. I think sometimes you don't realize what you have until you experience the love for a child. And it can be channeled to advocate for mothers around the world in some pretty cool ways.
What issues affecting women around the world are you passionate about?
Family preservation and economic opportunity.
So what is “family preservation and economic opportunity?” Jody plays a key role in running an organization called The Adventure Project, a non-profit that was “established to increase investments in positive social enterprises around the world.” In the last three years, TAP has grown quickly to address humanitarian issues related to the environment, water, hunger, and health. A look at their results page shows real individual lives being changed through jobs sponsored by TAP’s donors—individuals who are transforming their communities, primarily through their ability to have safe, stable jobs for the first time.
Somebody’s Mama exists in part to highlight the work real mamas are doing around the world. Jody is one of our people—she’s living proof that women are capable of so much when our thoughts turn to action.
Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” Today, we celebrate the ripples Jody is making in the lives of the six children she and her husband, Andy, are raising in Olympia, WA and in the lives of mamas across the globe.
“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” (B. R. Ambedkar)
We are mamas, daughters, aunts, grandmothers, and friends who believe in the power of cooperation. Throughout history, we find instances where women have turned adversity into opportunity and lack of resources into ingenuity. We gather in honor of those who have gone before us and those who come after us. We believe that a woman’s place in this world is anywhere she feels empowered, fulfilled, and whole. We believe “women’s work” to be finding the beauty that binds us, soothing the pains that divide us, and leading the call for peace and justice.
“Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.” (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.)
Fairness. Caring. Integrity. Those three words encapsulate the heart of what we wish to accomplish. We are driven to help women get a fair shot at a good life, our actions always rooted in love and grace and based on a cornerstone of principled and sincere honesty. We want to be in the business of human care, and we believe that a better world will result from our combined effort to meet the needs of women.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)
The power of the collective is far greater than the power of even the most ambitious individual. We are better when we work together. Our vision for Somebody’s Mama is that we each bring our individual passions, talents, and resources together to benefit our sisters around the world. We want everyone’s voice to be heard in making decisions about what projects we pursue, and we want to partner with people and organizations that spend their time and resources effectively.
“…there is nothing new under the sun.” (The Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:9)
We have no interest in reinventing the wheel. Instead of creating something “new,” we want to identify global issues affecting women and find other Mamas who are currently addressing those issues. None of this will work if we are subject to an individual agenda. While something like this requires leadership on a logistics level, we are never done learning, and we want to partner with people and organizations who are already leading the way.
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We will be inviting you to participate with us in several world-wide projects. We hope you will invite your friends to be a part of what we feel called to do. Aside from our specified projects, we want to hear what you and your friends are doing in your communities! In the coming months, we want Somebody’s Mama to be a “gathering space” for discussing ideas, celebrating the women of Somebody’s Mama, and acting out love in tangible ways. We are so glad you are here!
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