Mother’s Day and the grief associated with the loss of a Mother

By: Amy Schubert

Mother’s Day is a holiday that is celebrated throughout the world as a time to honor our mothers, and those women in our lives who have stepped up to be “mothers” to us. In the United States we tend to celebrate Mother’s Day

with cards, gifts of flowers, candy, items that encourage relaxation such as candles and journals. We may make reservations for brunch, go shopping, or plan a trip to the garden center with our Mom’s or Mother figure in our life, but what happens when that person is no longer in this physical world?

Creating a space to honor our grief over the loss of our Mother/Mother figure can be a difficult challenge on Mother’s Day. It is important to note that we all grieve in different ways. Some ways to honor our grief around Mother’s Day are;

Talk about your Mother/Mother figure
Write a letter to your Mom
Tell stories of the good times you had with your Mom and share with a trusted person
Create a special craft, photo album, or scrapbook to remember her.
Cook a meal or recipe that was special to your mom
If needed, ignore Mother’s Day completely and take time to be kind to yourself

“The pain of grief is just as much part of life as the joy of love: it is perhaps the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment.“ Colin Murray Parks

You Tube video created by Jessica Desai, LCSW - video related to feelings of grief around Mother’s day.

Here at Hope Hospice we offer Bereavement services to our families for 13 months after the loss of a loved one. https://www.gohopehospice.com/