Comments on: On Mothering Sunday

By: David Hall

David Hall — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 23:37:12 +0000

Thats a beautiful piece, it also kind of sums up how I feel about my Mum who died in 2012 .The last few years were bleak,sitting smoking watching Bargain Hunt ….but I remember dog walks on bright frosty mornings, gardening until both our backs gave in and visiting all those lovely plant nurseries …..flowers.

By: Jonathan Guy Hart

Jonathan Guy Hart — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:26:26 +0000

Thank you for these eloquent and moving thoughts.
At church we sang an anthem about memories fading and fleeting.
May yours never fade.

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:11:29 +0000

I have just lost my mum and we scattered her ashes on Saturday, the day before this year’s Mothering Sunday, so Mothers’ Day, for us, is this year particularly emotional. My sister & I are now orphans, as we lost our dad in 2015. Reading your beautifully and sensitively written piece, GA, I realised the parallels between our mothers and our relationships with them: My dear mother, too, suffered with dementia but she battled with it until she had no more to give; she, also, was responsible for teaching me to read – one of my favourite memories of her being sat on her lap in front of the fire, us looking together at my ‘Janet & John’ books, and which led to my lifelong love of books, reading & writing; I, too – during the years she has been, in her mind, in some other place – desperately missed being able to tell her about my experiences in daily life. Yes, your piece has brought me to tears, but I also found it joyful to read and full of love. Thank you GA, as always.

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 21:26:06 +0000

A beautifully written piece full of opaque language.
My Mother shined in the face of adversity and like that famous footballer Stanley Matthews, fought many battles and won.

By: Anabel Marsh

Anabel Marsh — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 17:57:08 +0000

This is my first motherless Mothers’ Day. Reading your reflections and those of your commenters has been comforting. Thank you.

By: Carole Jones

Carole Jones — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 13:11:38 +0000

Thanks for the Mother’s day reminder – I had forgotten about Mothering Sunday (distracted by pain and newly bunion-less foot) – but thoughts of my wonderful Mum are never far away.

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 11:56:52 +0000

My dear mother, Marion, died in 2000. At first, I had a notion that eventually I would “get over” her death. But now I realize that I am meant to incorporate all the joys and sorrows of my mother into my life, for as long as I live. I’ve even started to resemble my mother. Sometimes, when I pass a mirror, unexpectedly, I look up and smile and say “oh, hello, Marion!”. A tune on the radio will remind me of her — and depending on the day, I will either weep or grin. She is never forgotten. In a month or two, I’ll start planting my outdoor containers and primping our deck; and I will spend every moment of those activities thinking of my mother. She was a gifted gardener, among a zillion other talents. Thank you, Mom. For everything.

By: Cherub

Cherub — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 11:49:16 +0000

My mother passed away suddenly when I was 19, she was only months into retirement and the age I am now, 60.

I sometimes think of all the conversations we never had, how she never met my husband, never saw her daughters make their way in life, see her grandchildren growing up or her great grandson come into the world 24 years ago, plus many other things. I met my husband 4 years later shortly after I moved to London and hoped having a mother in law would fill the void – sadly this was not to be as she was a very difficult woman and she cut off all contact with me prior to getting married. She went on to make life very difficult for my husband, but he did travel to London regularly from our current home in Switzerland when she was dying and he did subsequently attend the funeral. Unfortunately she could never atone for the hurt and damage she had caused before she died.

This morning was joyous – the church bells were ringing out over Basel and I am seeing people carrying flowers and gifts. Friends of ours have just become grandparents so now there is a new mother in our midst to celebrate ?

By: Diana Cooper

Diana Cooper — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 11:18:36 +0000

Sharing your situation of no longer having a mother, your beautiful words have encapsulated perfectly the feelings many of us have on this special day for her.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 10:31:09 +0000

On Mothering Sunday

Your melancholy resonates with many of us with departed or separated mothers. The hardest grief for me is the inabilty to readily recall the many happy times after so many years with her dementia indelibly changing her personality and making us estranged. The person l visited for 4 years was not her and she had no idea who l was.

Your greatest comforting blessings GA are that you took such devoted care of her at home, you could not have done more.
And especially how much you resemble your lovely mother.
How proud that must have made her.