Mother’s Day: A Day of Remembrance

Later today – if all goes well – I will emerge from my weekly Sunday nap and remember to call my mother, and I will remember to call my brother to remind him to call our mother, and I will remember to tell my daughter to call both of her grandmothers because today is Mother’s Day!

Every second Sunday in May, florists rejoice, restaurants fill up, and social media timelines overflow with well-polished heartfelt tributes. Mother’s Day is, for many, a cherished occasion to honor the women who nurtured us. But not everyone greets this day with ease—or even approval.

So, is Mother’s Day a good thing? Or not? Like most things in life, the answer is… It’s complicated.

At its best, Mother’s Day is a reminder to slow down and say thank you. It’s a pause in the year to express gratitude to the women who ushered us into this life, raised us, and shaped our values. For some, it’s a chance to celebrate mentors, aunts, foster mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers—those who have mothered nonetheless.

Many families use this day to reconnect, reflect, and appreciate the work—so often invisible—that goes into raising children and holding families together. In a culture that often devalues care work, Mother’s Day can be a small but meaningful way to say: “We see you.”

But for others, this day is laced with grief, guilt, or even resentment.

Some grieve mothers who are gone. Others ache for relationships that were never healthy or loving to begin with. For those who long to be mothers and cannot—or who have lost children—the day can feel like a cruel spotlight on absence. And let’s not forget those for whom Mother’s Day brings stress, pressure, or painful memories instead of peace.

Even from a broader lens, some critique the commercialization of Mother’s Day. What began as a movement for peace and justice by Julia Ward Howe has become, in many ways, another opportunity for consumerism. The day can feel more like a sales pitch than a sacred moment.

Maybe the better question is: What if we held space for both?

What if we acknowledged the mothers who deserve to be celebrated, and the people for whom this day is heavy? What if our tributes could be tender without being trite? What if churches, workplaces, and communities could recognize the day without assuming it lands the same for everyone?

Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be all joy or all sorrow. Like so much of life, it’s a both/and. So, this year, whether you’re celebrating, grieving, avoiding brunch altogether, or somewhere in between—may you be gentle with yourself and others.