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ALONE ON MOTHERS DAY-by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: May 10, 2024

I’m not telling you I’m alone on Mother’s Day to feel sorry for myself, or for you to take pity on me. I’m alone and that’s just a fact. None of my children, step-children or grandchildren live near me and sometimes that really wounds.  Mother’s Day is a big Hallmark moment with flowers and cards, and many women suffer silently knowing they are alone. This blog is for women who have to put on a brave face for Mother’s Day.

“Above all else protect your heart”. (Proverbs 4:23) 

Since my husband’s death I’ve had to learn how to get through these lonely Hallmark moments. I prepare ahead of time. I’ve already booked myself in as a single on a golf course, and I’m already looking forward to it. Why not do the same…not golf but perhaps lunch or a hike with a friend? Maybe your way of overcoming loneliness is walking through the mall and having someone smile at you.

Some of you have estranged children who you haven’t seen or heard from for years. That hurts. Perhaps your child is in prison, on the street, in the hospital or in an unhealthy relationship. My empathy goes out to you. In church on Sunday families will sit together and you may be alone. That’s jarring loneliness stacked upon loneliness. I know there are widows out there who have just lost a loved one, and in a blink of an eye are trying to cope with this momentous day. Some mothers are in a retirement home or assisted living and have not been visited by their children for a long time.

It’s not meant to depress you; it’s to acknowledge your pain.

We don’t realize how many lonely mothers are trying to camouflage their distress, until you work with people who experience losses. I don’t have any quick-fix answers I just wish I could hug each one of you right now. After I finish this post I will pray for you. So:

  • Make a plan to do something or just grit your teeth and get through the day.
  • Go buy yourself some flowers.
  • Meet a friend for lunch or dinner.
  • Try to stay away from Facebook and Instagram as it will be filled with Mother’s Day festivities,
  • Or…go golfing.

I am so grateful that my beautiful children or grandchildren will call or FaceTime on Mother’s Day. I feel safe and accepted in their love, but I’m still alone…but not really. I’ll be joining 3 other people on a golf course I’ve never met. We’ll start out as strangers and maybe end up as friends.

God be with you on Mother’s Day. I rise up and call you BLESSED!

 

 

Posted in: all alone, alone, companionship, empathy, Encouragement, grit, hiking, loneliness, loneliness epidemic, make time for each other, Mothers Day, our children, Overcoming Struggles, relationships, take care of your heart, we need each other

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