to the women who grieve on mother’s day

Mother’s Day, a time for everyone, men, women and children to reflect on motherhood and what it means to be a mother – a woman. A day to give our thanks to the women who gave us life, to the women who played their role in raising us, and to look in awe at who the women in our lives have grown to be: our sisters, our cousins, our wives, our mothers, our friends – our strength. Mother’s Day, a day of celebration for most; but for many women, Mother’s Day holds a heavy space in their heart.

She stands there, looking in the mirror. Heart broken tears stream down her face as the wave of emotion hits her; the grief feels unbearable. The woman who grieves for her mother lights a candle in remembrance. The woman who buried her son feels the like the crack in her heart will never heal. The woman who mourns her daughter contemplates who she could have been. The woman who holds her hand on her empty belly questions her womanhood. The woman who grew apart from her children relives her guilt. The woman who goes through costly hormonal treatment sobs through heartache each and every time it doesn’t work.

To the women who struggle on Mother’s Day. You are not alone.

It’s time to allow yourself to heal.

To the women with broken hearts, allow yourself to heal.

To the women who let the pain engulf them, allow yourself to heal.

To the women unsure how to grieve the life you were never able to meet, don’t hide away in the shadows or hold onto your heartache alone. You are still a mother. You are not broken. Allow yourself to heal.

To the women struggling to conceive, you have not failed. Allow yourself to heal.

To all the women who struggle on Mother’s Day, feel the strength of the women who came before you and the women who are yet to come. Feel their love, surrender and give them permission to hold you today. Acknowledge your feelings and honour them. Let go of the grief weighing heavy on your heart. Allow yourself to heal.

To the woman who lights a candle for her mother, we stand with you.

To the woman who morns her son, we stand with you.

To the woman whose heart aches at the loss of her daughter, we stand with you.

To the woman who never held her child, we stand with you.

To the woman yearning to be a mother, we stand with you.

To all the women who struggle on Mother’s Day, today we give you our strength.

We honour you. We love you. We support you.