It’s the night before Mother’s Day and she gets the random urge to pull out her laptop and write. It’s a few minutes before 9 pm. The lamp in her room shines dimly. She sits and types on her bed, wearing a sweater in May because the weather outside is still cold.
But not as cold as the void she can feel in her heart.
She misses her mother. It’s been over two years since God has called her mother home and tomorrow will mark her third Mother’s Day without her. Tomorrow, when children rush to praise their mothers for the life they’ve given them and shower their mothers with meaningful gifts from their hearts, she will have no mother to kiss, hug, or to simply give a word of thanks. How does she feel?
She feels noticed.
Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
She feels strong.
Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.”
She feels fearless.
Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
She feels comforted.
Isaiah 66:13
“As one whom his mother comforts,
So I will comfort you.”
She feels cared for.
Psalm 27:10
“When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.”
She continues to sit on her bed and type, attempting to hold back her tears. She tells herself that the truth of the matter is there is no reason to cry.
She may not have a mother to kiss, or hug, or to simply thank tomorrow. But she has a Father who carries the love of a mother. She has a Father who knit her in her mother’s womb; a Father who knew her name long before her mother gave her one.
She has a Father who knows the feeling of loss, for He too has dealt with it. He experienced the loss of His one and only Son. And therefore, she knows He wouldn’t allow her to lose something without letting her gain something bigger.
He has given me His word: one day, I shall see my mother again. And on that day, I will not only be reunited with my mother, but with my Savior too. I will have gained something bigger.
I may not have a mother to hold right now, but I have a Father who holds me. And through this loss, I have learned that God is a not just a father to the fatherless. He is a mother to the motherless.
Grace and Glory 
I truly love this one, Joanna. Keep up the good work. Stay strong for God does not forget his own and nor does he leave them alone. Love you!
In Hebrew: 13:5 God says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
In our Orthodox Church, we usually have a prayer called “Memory Eternal”
Deacon: In a blessed falling asleep, grant, O Lord, eternal rest unto Thy departed servant (Name) and make his/her memory to be eternal!
Choir: Memory eternal! Memory eternal! Memory eternal!
You see your mother never left you or died in a sense. Your mom is eternal in fact. She lives on through your memories of her. You and your family make her immortal.
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This is emotional. Your mothers presence is still in your heart, you still see her, have good memories of her, she tucked you in bed, and so she did her part. She’s watching over you i believe. Quite different from me, she’s alive but never felt her presence
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I sympathize with you. Mothers are such an important part of our lives and we see that whether they’re here with us or not. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a mother who doesn’t connect with you in a maternal way. My only hope is that one day the gap can be filled, for both of us.
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