INTERNATIONAL BEREAVED MOTHER'S DAY

I learned something new today…something that both warms and saddens my heart at the same time.  Today is INTERNATIONAL BEREAVED MOTHER’S DAY.  Evidently it has been recognized each year since 2010 the Sunday before the long-standing national Mother’s Day, but I only learned of it today when my cousin posted about it on facebook. It warms my heart because I understand that the “real” Mother’s Day can be very difficult for the mothers who have lost a child and the mothers who have miscarried and perhaps this day can be a day when these mothers can be remembered.  It saddens me because in 1986 I became an unwilling member of the club of bereaved mothers, and even after all these years Mother’s Day is difficult for me.  It is a day of both joy and sadness…joy for the blessings of my son and my two grandchildren; sadness because I still miss our sweet daughter that we lost at the age of nine.

Today we placed flowers in the church in memory of our darling Mandy.  Had I known what today was, I would also have dedicated the flowers to all the other mothers who are members of the club that none of us wanted to join. 

So…if you know a mother who has lost a child, give her an extra hug, an extra smile today and lift up a prayer for her.  We would very much appreciate it.

*If you’d like to read more about INTERNATIONAL BEREAVED MOTHER’S DAY, here is a link:

https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/parentnewsletters/internationalbereavedmothersday/