Opting Out of Mother’s Day

Every time I open my email lately, I am offered the opportunity to opt out of Mother's Day emails.

Will it be too hard to see Mothers being celebrated? 

It makes me think - should I be sad on Mother's Day?

I lost my mom very unexpectedly to cancer six years ago this past September. 

Life changed after that. I didn't know I would have to do the rest of my life this soon without her. Without her here to call, text, and share all of life's events with - the large events, but also the small everyday ones. 

I appreciate Mother's Day in a different way now; it's a day to celebrate, yes, but also a day to remember.

Is that always easy? No, but I always try to remember her with a smile, even if it's a smile through tears. I celebrate the blessings God has given me through my boys and the children of others I tend to mother while also remembering the way she mothered me. I try to keep alive all the things she found important while she was still here, mothering all of us. Mother's Day is a day to say "thank you" for the memories and for the lasting things I learn from her.

Losing my mom showed me that you may only have one moment (this may be that moment!) to tell those ladies around you, those ladies who give of themselves, those ladies who try to build you up and make you better, "Thank you!" Let them know that you see and appreciate the influence they have in the lives of all those around them.

The hope for me is that on a day where Moms, Grandmas, and other impactful Women are celebrated, we can remember her well; not the sadness that came when we lost her, but all the wonderful things she left behind. Whether we think about that time she burned the gravy, the time she sang that old Girl Scout song, or when she ran to pick something up we had forgotten and saved the day…the memories are what keep her alive.

Through the memories, she is still living in our family. She is with us still because we all share parts of her. We know that is what she would have wanted.

So this Mother's Day, I opt in for all the email reminders. Every time I get one, I smile. Sometimes I smile and there are tears, but I always smile and say, "Mom, you are never forgotten and always loved. Thank you."