Today is Mother’s Day – A Tribute for those celebrating Mother’s Day with empty hands:
Mother’s Day is supposed to be a happy occasion. Mother’s Day can hurt. It can also be a beautiful time of joy. But, when your arms are empty, whether it be from
- Couples struggling with infertility
- Just a “mother figure”
- Single and longing for someone to build a family with
- Mother grieving the loss of a child
- Woman who is in the process of adopting, but while pregnant mothers are honored and recognized, she is not
- Foster parents and adoptive who are protecting little hearts on this complicated day
- Mum whose teenager is heading down a dark and dangerous pathand while she has tried everything in her power to “save” her child
- Woman who has a strained relationship with her own mother
- Those working abroad to earn for their living and therefore away from their child (especially from Africa, Middle-East, Asia)
- Anyone whose mother has passed away
It can be tough!
As you watch Facebook explode with pictures of happy families, you think about what could have been. Let’s not forget those “mums” who may be struggling.
For me, I know Mother’s Day will always be bittersweet, but I’ve come to accept that this is my new normal. My heart swells with pride when I hear my children call me “mama”. I am lucky to be a mother of two beautiful boys. Each of my children are blessings and a miracle. I just have another blessing looking over my family from above, my beloved mother ‘maman’.
I believe there is a way to honor mothers and mother figures while being sensitive and loving to those who find this special holiday hard. We can reach out to those we think the day might be hard for. We can let them know they aren’t forgotten and that they are loved and important. Whether for your mum or your child, they will always hold a special place in your heart’.
M… is for the million things she gave me,
O… means right, and right she’ll always be.
T… means only that she’s growing old,
H… is for the tears she shed to save me,
E… is for her heart of purest gold;
R… is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,” A word that means the world to me.
Howard Johnson (c. 1915)
