Are You Excited About Mother’s Day? Maybe Not
April showers bring May flowers. Do you know what else the end of April and heading into May bring? Mother’s Day. President Woodrow Wilson established Mother’s Day as a national holiday in 1912. Anna Jarvis was credited with the idea as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
When Mother’s Day Hurts
I love the idea of Mother’s Day, but somehow, the holiday has lost some appeal. You see, I am one of many moms who anticipated Mother’s Day with a bit of dread.
Miscarriage affects one in five pregnancies.
Around one in ten women struggles with infertility.
Abortion touches the lives of one in four women.
Each statistic represents a deeply personal journey of loss, grief, and resilience. That is in addition to moms who bury a child—whether a baby, teenager, young adult, or grown adult—and children who bury their moms.
How to Redeem a Difficult Day
So, what can you do to redeem that day?
Acknowledge that loss.
Process your feelings.
Grieve in healthy ways.
I would also encourage you to find a way to love someone around you who might be dreading the reminders that Mother’s Day is coming.
A Place to Be Known: Grieving Mother’s Day Tea
To that end, this year, our church is inviting ladies in the North Dallas/Collin County area to a special “Grieving Mother’s Day Tea” on April 27th at 10 AM at Woodcreek Church.
This event is designed to honor and embrace mothers and grandmothers who have endured the loss of a child at any age, experienced miscarriage, or are walking through the pain of infertility—often known as “moms in waiting.”
It’s a day to gather, share, and find a community that understands the journey. If you are in the area, please join us.
Start Something Beautiful in Your Own Community
If you are not in the area but like the idea, please steal it! We did! Thank you to Hope Dawning for allowing us to experience the joy of connecting with your moms for the past five-plus years.
A Word of Honor
As Erma Bombeck famously said,
“On Mother’s Day, I can think of no mother more deserving than a mother who had to give one back.”
jthomas
Julie Thomas has a degree in secondary education from Baylor University. She taught and coached for nine years at the secondary level before serving 30 years for Real Options, a pregnancy clinic in Allen, Texas. Her passion is equipping volunteers to talk with women dealing with an unplanned pregnancies. Julie has been married to Marcus for 30+ years, and they have four children: Rachael, Robin, Sara, and Bryan. In 2017, Julie’s life changed forever when she lost her 16-year-old son. Learning to deal with loss in Julie’s life led her to begin a grief ministry, become a certificate in Mental Health Coaching with an understanding of Grief and Loss. REBUILD, Finding Hope After Loss was written by Willow Creek Church in Chicago.
