Comments on: On Mothering Sunday

By: denise berry

denise berry — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 18:24:57 +0000

What a deep and honoring reflection, Gentle Author. Comforting to drink deeply from it, as I miss and commune with the memory of my own Mother today.
Thank- You for this.

By: Ruth Fleming

Ruth Fleming — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 15:15:48 +0000

Dear Gentle Author,
I can tell from your description that your mother was a lovely lady, who was beautiful inside and out. I am sorry that she is no longer physically in your life, but she still remains in your memories of her, and her love for you. I am quite sure that whatever else happens love we have been given by our mothers does not end when our mothers die, but is always there for us.
I am lucky to still have my mother, but I mourn the loss of both my sets of grandparents. However if I can get past the loss I can still feel the love they gave me and their legacy to me. I am profoundly grateful to them in so many ways. They all came from the east end of London and had difficult lives. I am sure your lovely mother is aware of your life and still feels great love for you and pride in the things you have accomplished. She was and is a very special lady.

By: Jill Wilson

Jill Wilson — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 08:38:29 +0000

I have delayed commenting on this blog so I could read lots of other comments as I knew the loving portrait of your Mum would resonate with so many readers, especially those who have lost their own mothers.

I am lucky to still have my mother who is going strong at 91, and I have spent a lot of time with her during lockdown (most playing cards and talking about the new cat!) We also had a big family quiz based around her via Zoom last night which was great fun.

However today the family will be remembering what should have been the 41st birthday of her beloved granddaughter Lucy who tragically died of cancer four years ago, leaving behind a husband and two very young children and a big hole in the family.

So we will be sharing your sense of loss – and thankfulness for having known such a special person.

By: Jenny Newall

Jenny Newall — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 21:23:41 +0000

I found this article very moving and beautifully expressed. what a wonderful mother she must have been.
I have two sons and I just heard from my younger one who lives in New York. being apart is hard.

By: Cherub

Cherub — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 20:29:07 +0000

Thank you for sharing this.

I will be 60 this year. My mother died suddenly when I was a teenager so I missed out on all the adult “woman to woman” conversations mothers and daughters have. It was a little easier for my sister as she was in her late 20s at the time.

I met my husband when I moved to London. Unfortunately his mother was a difficult woman who took an immediate dislike to me and for 34 years until her death in 2019 she didn’t speak to me. I had hoped I’d find a kind mother in law, but some things are just not meant to be and you have to get on with life as best as you can.

By: Pauline Rogerson

Pauline Rogerson — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 16:57:42 +0000

Lovely photo. Thank you for sharing your article.

I lost my mam in 1998 and mum (mother in law) 5 years later. Mothering Sunday is always ‘a killer’ even after all these years. Birthdays and other celebrations for some reason do not affect me quite as much.

By: Linda Granfield

Linda Granfield — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 16:15:25 +0000

A lovely photograph of your mother–a wonderful portrait of her child in today’s blog.

I’m sure your mother would be smiling had she been here to see all you’ve accomplished via Spitalfields Life, your book publishing, your garden, your support of community efforts, and so on.

Please, please, consider asking one of your illustrator/artist friends to put pictures to your “The Gentle Author’s Childhood Christmas”! Our family reads aloud the illustrated Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” every Christmas–I’d like to add a reading of your story to our tradition.

Did I say ‘please’ enough? (I’m sure you will have enough reader pre-orders to enable printing!)
Take care.

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 15:36:38 +0000

Your posting today is so personal, and so heartfelt, I almost feel like an intruder. However, I am thinking of the various posts you have written about the beautiful bulbs you display in the fascinating china bowls/planters. And the way your photos capture the flowers, emerging in the undergrowth at the cemeteries. And your advocacy of the singular endangered tree, etc.

All of these are tangible tributes to your mother. You are continuing some of her lifelong interests — and sharing them with others. One of my favorite quotes: “May the beauty we love be what we do.” By your words, actions, interests, and pursuits, you honor your mother.
And inspire all of us to do the same.

By: Emma Hardy

Emma Hardy — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 15:34:44 +0000

Thank for today’s writings. I too seek to live in peace with my sadness.

By: Adriaane Pielou

Adriaane Pielou — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 14:52:37 +0000

There’s so much beauty and sensitivity in your writing, and
your readers’ comments are always a delight to read too. Your
lovely mother lives on. Thank you!