Preparing for Mother's Day
The thing about Mother’s Day is it stirs up so many questions, triggers so much emotion and can leave us completely worn out by the time it comes around.
What I want you to know, with all my heart, is that you deserve to be honoured.
You have been through so much, you’re carrying your grief with such grace and dignity, even when it doesn’t feel like you are, You are!
You are a warrior Mother, your Mother's heart beats every single day even though it is broken. You deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated.
Over the next few days I will be sharing ideas, thoughts, and things you might like to consider in the run up to March 11th, whether you are a bereaved Mother with aching arms, or one with a Mother’s heart but no child here on earth, or one who is waiting and striving for the child you long for, or one who has children here on earth but is still laying awake at night longing for your child who couldn’t stay.
We honour you and know the beautiful Mother love that lives on in your heart.
In our modern day society, Mothers who are grieving the death of their babies and children are often forgotten on traditional Mothers Day.
Here in the UK the origins of Mothering Sunday grew out of the 16th century practice of annually visiting one's mother church, and being reunited with one's children on this day. However in 1907 in America, Anna Jarvis officially founded the traditional Mother's Day to honour her own Mother Ann who lost 7 of her babies! It was created in honour of a bereaved mother! Within just a few years, the deep emotions meant to be conveyed by Mother’s Day were submerged by superficial commercial interests that meant big profits for business, but ignored the feelings of grieving mothers.
Ann’s daughter, Anna Jarvis, began a lifelong fight against what she saw as a violation of her Mother’s intention for the Mother’s Day holiday. She recognized the deep irony. A day initially intended to recognize the pain of grieving Mothers had been hijacked to sell products. And now, it is precisely those bereaved Mothers, most deserving of a day of recognition, who are most likely to be cast aside by our superficial version of the holiday.
It is time to get back to the original intent: a loving tribute to all mothers, but especially an opportunity to help those suffering a grievous loss of a precious loved one.
You deserve to be recoginsed and celebrated!
Stay with us beautiful Mother, over the following days my hope is that you will find ways to reclaim this Mother’s Day and find your place within it.
Just because your baby died does not mean that you're not a Mother anymore. You are your baby’s Mother forever. We honour you, we celebrate you and we will hold your hand through this heart wrenching time, together we can navigate this!
You are not alone, you are loved, you love, and love never ever dies.
With grace and love, Val x x x
