In light of Mother’s Day tomorrow, I cannot help but remember the many years that it was not a celebration for me. For many people around the world, Mother’s day is a tough one. Some of us experience angst towards the day as we struggle in our relationships with our own mother’s. For others, you may be longing to have a child and are struggling with a yearning that is so deep – all you feel is pain and sadness. I have experienced both of those emotions towards Mother’s day. To take it further, I also understand the pain that day can afford after the loss of a child. Simply stated, it is tough! The pain cuts deep, the anger can rage, and the depths of those emotions can be unfathomable for others to really grasp an understanding for what you are going through.

If your current journey has you in a place of bitterness, darkness, longing or loneliness on Mother’s Day – I want you to know that you are not alone. There is not much to say to someone finding this day tough – no words ease the emotions you feel. When many around you are celebrating the day, it is okay to be honest with how you feel about it.

The walk to feeling okay with a day like Mother’s day can be long – yet it can turn around in time. After my mom left my dad, I could not bring myself to speak to her on Mother’s Day. I completely ignored her – my anger was raging. As time, years really, went by and we were able to create peace, by the grace of God – we are now in a place where we can celebrate Mother’s day. The magnitude of depression on Mother’s day grew exponentially as my husband and I walked the path of infertility and loss after our first child was stillborn full term. Those are years I do not wish on anyone to experience. Yet God has carried us through to the other side. We have our two gorgeous gifts from God now that have given me reason to celebrate Mother’s day.

It is not that my story is saying all the pain will disappear one day. What I have walked, is different than what you have walked or are currently experiencing. I still feel sadness in my heart on Mother’s day that I don’t have my other daughter with me in the physical. The point is that God is with me on Mother’s day. He has been with me every Mother’s day of my life. He knows the struggles I have encountered every year with different magnitudes of pain, despair, and finally relief when I had my daughters to hold in my arms.

Mother’s day may be hard for some of us, every year for the rest of our lives. It is more than okay to acknowledge the emotions that day brings for you. It is even more okay to accept God’s grace to get you through what can be a tumultuous day.

To all those that are loathing Mother’s day, I’m thinking of you, I’m praying for you, and I understand how difficult of a day it can be. You are not alone. May the grace of God surround your heart as you walk through the path you are on.

∼live your journey true∼