A mother’s unconditional love is different than all others. For most women, our mothers are our pillars of support. They nurture us throughout our growth, providing protection and advice in our different life stages.
Our mothers influence our development of identity and we often find ourselves – even as adults – seeking reassurance, validation, and guidance from them.
The impact of losing your mother is complicated. We may struggle with a sense of destabilization, abandonment, or fear. There are many layers to the loss.
We may feel a sense of aimlessness, our grief washing over us in waves.
In her profound book, Motherless Daughters, Hope Edelman writes, “When a daughter loses a mother, the intervals between grief responses lengthen over time, but her longing never disappears. It always hovers at the edge of her awareness, ready to surface at any time, in any place, in the least expected ways. It’s why you find yourself, at twenty-four, or thirty-five or forty-three, unwrapping a present or walking down an aisle or crossing a busy street, doubled over and missing your mother.”
It is often said that while death ends a life, it does not end a relationship. Take time to learn more about your mother, openly express your feelings, and cherish your memories.