A Very Different Mother’s Day

 This time of year always makes me feel like celebrating. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and I can hear the sounds of a little sparrow that has made her nest in the eaves right above my back door like she does every year. It’s the time of year when we are reminded of how beautiful life is, and it is only fitting that this would be when we celebrate the person who gave us life.

I have always thought that Mother’s Day was such a beautiful holiday. If anyone deserves to be celebrated, it’s our mothers. They have been with us and helped us grow into the people we are today. Without them, we literally would not be alive.

This year, Mother’s Day will be celebrated very differently. As the world has been put on hold during the Coronavirus pandemic, many people will have to remain separated from their family members. Perhaps for the first time in our world’s history, our mothers cannot be with us on Mother’s day.

But for those people whose mothers have already gone before us into heaven, this is unfortunately not a new phenomenon. I think of my friends and family members who celebrate Mother’s Day every year with heavy hearts and an aching knowing that in this life, they will never see their mothers again. But I would like to suggest that Mother’s Day is in no way about only the mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures who are still alive. Mother’s Day is about celebrating the lives of all the women that we have ever cherished and respected. Even if they cannot be with us in person, let us celebrate them in spirit.

I am reminded of a Tom Shelton song titled “My Heart Remembers You”. This piece is based in part on an ancient Chinese phrase, “four oceans bridge one family” – reminding us that even though the distance between us may seem vast, we are always – and always will be – connected. This Mother’s Day, spend some time being thankful for that connection. And, if you have the opportunity, tell your mother “thank you” for contributing to this beautiful life. You are the person you are today because of her.