Even if you don’t have children of your own, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Redirect your thoughts. Consider Mother’s Day as a celebration of your own mother, rather than a celebration of your own “motherly” status. Although it sometimes takes all my strength to redirect my thoughts, I have found the emotions to be not as intense when I am thinking of and celebrating my mom.
Consider how you are a mother. According to dictionary.com, the verb form of “mother” is “to acknowledge oneself the author of, to give origin or rise to, to care for or protect like a mother.” What are you the author of? What and whom do you care for or protect? What have you created? Who have you influenced? Each answer makes you a mother.
Reach out to someone else you know who is dealing with infertility. You know how difficult it is, so why not reach out and make the experience better for someone else? Send flowers, send a note or an e-mail, call, or visit; do something that will help your friend know that someone is aware of her.
Plant flowers. Mother’s Day is when the cold of spring frosts are behind us and when the life within a plant will flourish. Plan to plant some flowers or a new bush or tree in your yard as a symbol of life and your ability to nurture and nourish.
Celebrate your family as it is. Spend time with your spouse. Do something fun. Do something that can be counted as your yearly tradition for Mother’s or Father’s Day. We all need another excuse to celebrate and to do something extraordinary.
Prepare by organizing a get together of friends with similar struggles. Share ideas about where you will find your strength. Commit to helping each other endure the roller coaster of emotion around these difficult holidays. Do something fun that can get your mind off of what is happening around you.