It’s two days after Mother’s Day.
The flowers have begun to fade. The goodies are gone, and the rest of the holiday’s trappings set aside. But now, when everything is supposed to be returning to normal, you may feel empty. You may be mourning the loss of your mother.
Reposted from an earlier post. Why? It’s one of my favorites.
Perhaps your mother has passed and you long for her presence.
So you cry. Or, perhaps you grieve for the mother whose inner strength has been stolen from her through dementia, mental illness or other debilitating disease. She can’t be the nurturer, the encourager and the cheerleader. You feel sad–for you, for her, for her other loved ones. That sadness is normal.
Mother loss is hard.
My clients over the last 25 years have told me about similar “mother losses.”. A mother who used to be the life of the party but now isolates due to dementia. A mother whose mental illness causes her to be incredibly needy and unable to see others’ points of view. A mother who used to recognize the family but no longer does.
I wish I could change those situations but I can’t. I’m so sorry that in this world and in your world in particular, you ache for the comfort you desire and need.
So how do we get comfort?
“Ma mere es morte et je suis triste” (My mother died and I am sad.)
He looked at me and said nothing for a while as I fought back the tears. Then he said something that I’ll never forget. “Vous avez un Pere en ciel. Dieu est votre parent.” (You have a Father in Heaven. God is your parent.)
The ache in my heart didn’t go away. But it was made bearable by a truth that I’d known in my head but now experienced in my soul. God would carry me though. He was–and is–my loving parent.
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