A Letter to Bereaved Mothers This Mother’s Day

To the mother who grieves—This time of year may feel impossibly heavy.

As the world prepares to celebrate Mother’s Day with cards, flowers, and breakfast-in-bed traditions, you may find yourself quietly bracing for the ache that no bouquet or brunch can soothe.

If your arms are empty, if your motherhood is invisible to others, or if your heart holds the weight of loving a child who is no longer physically here—please know this: you are not alone and you are not forgotten.

Bereaved Mother’s Day, May 4, 2025

Originally created by a grieving mother herself, Bereaved Mother’s Day is a day to honor and acknowledge mothers who carry the grief of a child lost—whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, infant or child loss, or the death of an adult child.

It’s a sacred pause. A breath of validation. A reminder that your motherhood is real, and it matters.

Your Grief, Your Love, Your Story

Grief is not a sign that you are stuck or broken. It is a reflection of your love—a love that has no timeline, no endpoint, and no expiration just because others have moved on.

Your grief may look different this year than it did last. You may feel more fragile, or angrier. You may want to talk about your child or keep it private. There is no “right” way to grieve. Only your way.

The truth is that our culture often doesn’t know how to hold space for this kind of pain. It tells mothers to “stay strong” or “find peace,” when what you may really need is simply to be seen, remembered, and allowed to feel all that lives in your heart.

Ways to Honor Yourself This Year

If you're not sure how to move through this day, here are a few gentle invitations:

• Light a candle in memory of your child—speak their name, even if only to yourself.

• Write a letter to them, or from them to you. What does your heart need to say or hear?

• Spend time in nature or in a space that feels grounding and safe.

• Connect with others who understand this kind of loss—whether through a support group, online community, or close friend.

• Say no to celebrations that don’t feel right and give yourself full permission to create your own ritual of remembrance.

• Pay it forward—do something kind and unexpected for someone else in honor of your child. A handwritten note, a small donation, or a simple act of compassion can be a quiet way to share their light with the world.

  
  

To the Bereaved Mother Reading This:

You are a mother. You are still a mother. Even in silence, even in sorrow, even if the world forgets—your love endures.

You don’t have to hold it all together. You don’t have to make sense of it. You only have to keep breathing. One moment at a time.

This year, may you find space to honor both your grief and your love. And may you remember: you are seen. You are held. You are never alone in this.