If you’re grieving the death of a dear maternal figure in your life and you’ve been feeling a bit anxious lately, it is possible you are having anticipatory grief in advance of the upcoming Mother’s Day. As mentioned in last month’s bulletin, special days and holidays bring with them a mixed bag of feelings and a resurgence of grief from past losses. Mother’s Day grief often carries with it very intense emotions and at times a heavy weight of sadness or loneliness.
It is our hope that by normalizing some of the common experiences you feel and sharing some tips to help you navigate these intense days, you may find a sense of peace and hopefully translate some of the loss into the love that exists beneath the grief. Grief is actually love displaced, love deferred, love searching for new ways to connect and be fulfilled through continued bonds.
With this coming Mother’s Day, we encourage you to honor the maternal caregivers in your life; living and departed. Honor your maternal ancestors and Mother Earth. Honor them in your own personal way that does not push you beyond your own level of grieving: Private, public, or somewhere in-between.
I pray for all who have complicated maternal relationships. I pray for mothers who have lost a child. I pray for those of you who ache for motherhood but who are childless. I pray for all who grieve silently in the wake of Mother’s Day for reasons known only to God. My prayer is that we all find the love we long for, in God’s nurturing maternal embrace.
