Words of Encouragement
from Rhonda Abrams, Bereavement Coordinator
Mother’s Day is about one month away and with it comes a “Wide Spectrum” of emotions. Although most people are blessed to honor their maternal pillars on this day, not everyone looks forward to it with happiness. In fact, some find it a bittersweet day and to others it can be very painful. I encourage you to read this heartfelt letter blogger Amy Young wrote to her pastor in 2012. Her perspective on Mother’s Day gave voice to emotions I was searching to relay to the leaders in my parish (and many others). For many years on Mother’s Day, I was one of the “empty shells” sitting in the church pew while mothers were asked to stand and be applauded. It became one of the most crushing experiences in my “desert” years of singleness then in married life suffering multiple miscarriages. While I celebrated my dear mother and grandmothers, I yearned to share in this sacred rite of passage. Mother’s Day remains a very sensitive day for me, even 18 years after the birth of our miracle child, now approaching manhood. I have a real heart for the “non-mothers” and those with difficult or complex mother/child relationships.
This month’s bereavement articles speak to those grieving a variety of motherhood challenges as well as ways to find “hope” in the midst of any type of grief. Our approaching Easter season offers ways to reflect upon the Risen Christ and how to fix our eyes on the assurance of Jesus walking side-by-side and hand-in-hand with us every day of our journey through life. My prayer is that we can help you find renewed hope in your “desert” stages of life.
