Mother’s Day. What a beautiful day for many.

Starting the day slowly with breakfast in bed. We used to pick an assortment of flowers from around the neighbourhood (sorry anyone who lived on our block), put them in a glass of water and set them on a tray next to a burnt piece of toast – “just scrape the burnt parts off”, Mum always used to say. We’d sneak in with a hot cup of coffee, poorly made, and Mum would pretend we had woken her up – when in actual fact she would have been laying there for a full hour thinking “I have sh#% to do, hurry up”. She would eat this as though it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten and unwrap the terrible gifts we bought from the school Mother’s Day Stall (they’ve improved over the years, let me tell you), “Another bar of soap! Aww you guys”. Or worse we let Dad choose the gift (One year he bought her Daffy Duck leggings. Enough said).

Now, we still celebrate Mum with breakfast. It’s prepared a little better. We buy good coffee and we spoil her, because she is just the most perfect mum in every way. Social media booms with dedications to all the mums out there, and it’s nice to have a newsfeed filled with love, instead of the usual complaints.

What a beautiful day.

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As beautiful as this day is to celebrate my Mum, your Mum, the fur Mums, grand Mums, the foster Mums, the new Mums, the step Mums, the just about to become Mum….I can’t help but acknowledge what a difficult day it is for many. Just like all holidays, for some, it’s laced with pain and heartache.

To all the ladies who have lost children. To all the children who have lost mothers. I light a candle for them.

For all the ladies who long to be mothers, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. I light a candle for them too.

For all the relationships that have ended between mothers and children, for reasons others don’t have to understand or accept. Another candle burns.

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And for myself… I light a candle.

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“Are you a Mum, Mrs Watson?”

“Yes, I’m a school Mum. And this year I’m blessed with you and 22 other beautiful kids to adore,” she replied.