Mother’s Day can bring sadness and loss as well as joy and delight.  I’m not trying to be a complete downer. I just want to acknowledge what often isn’t incase it applies to you or someone you’re close to. 

Mother’s Day can hold a range of emotions.  If you’ve had a miscarriage or a still birth, or you want to be a mother but are having trouble conceiving, or indeed recently lost your own mother. Or even if you don’t have quite the connection with your own mother that you’d like. leave-in-a-basket-mothers-day-card

With deep love comes the potential for deep sadness. With deep desire comes the potential for deep loss and emptiness. And we can still reemerge strong, with new meaning and new life. Resilient beings we are. 

Ann Douglas says it nicely in this article:

“If you are a mother [or a human] whose heart is breaking this Mother’s Day, here’s what you need to know:

  • You are not alone (even though it may feel that way). Other women are grappling with the same difficult mix of emotions as you are on this day that is dedicated to all things motherhood and moms.
  • And not every Mother’s Day will be as painful as this one. We’re a resilient bunch, after all.
  • You will find joy in your life again. And you deserve to feel that joy.”
[Italics are mine][The card I just like]. 

I would add, if you’re dealing with grief, or indeed a particularly challenging time, one idea is to try making something tangible to represent your loss, or your journey, and put it in a special place.  

One Comment

  • Cynthia says:

    Well-said. Also all the mothers who are estranged from their children, for a variety of reasons. Even if Mother’s Day always hurts, there can still be healing and growth and greater peace of mind.