Author: Luke Schmaltz

While many holidays encourage thanks and goodwill, Mother’s Day is unique. This day specifically bestows gratitude upon those who nurture us and love us unconditionally.

For people who have lost a parent, or for parents who have lost a child, this day is bittersweet. An occasion for cherishing the gift of life also emphasizes how the loss of a loved one affects us forevermore.

Regardless, we can cherish the lives of the departed, take inventory of their enduring memory, and hold them close to our hearts as the sacred blessings they are.


Mothers and Fathers

By Kerry J. Bickford

Whether we created or chose them
They were ours.
Much like the vows that we once took:
To love and to cherish
Until we are parted by death.
We did
And we were.

So who are we
When it's Mother's
Or Father's Day
And we cannot help but ache
For the days we remember
And the ones that we won't
That were stolen away
In a moment we can never get back
No matter how much we wish for it.

Whether we created or chose them
We loved them fiercely
And still do
By carrying them within us
Always remembering they were here.

So on Mother's Day
Gather up the flowers in your yard
And scatter them in the places that bring you joy.
And on Father's Day, take yourself for a walk in the wood
And don't be surprised if you see your loved one's laughing face
In the trees
He used to climb.

Mummy

By Kaileigh Marie Bickford

My heart is heavy on Mother’s Day
I was so young when you went away
And the memories from when you were here with me
Through no one’s fault, have begun to fade

And with the time that fades away
I struggle to remember you
I'll never forget the love you gave
Or how hard you fought and tried to stay.

I can't remember the feel of your hugs
Or the smiles that spread across your face
But I do have distant memories
And other reminders of what I lost

On Mother's Day I no longer cry.
I smile at my mother up in the sky
And though she might not be here with me
Our love for each other will always be





Leaving Season

By Luke Schmaltz

We create and are nurtured
We give life and receive
Yet we are all perchers
On the tree of bereave

Our lives are a gift
We blossom by choice
And upon Fall’s rift
We all have a voice

I say your name
As I count the leaves
And your face in a frame
Says it’s OK to grieve

Through every season
These roots run deep
Gratitude is the reason
I sing before I sleep