On May 16, 2011 Mothers Day took on a different meaning for me. It was on that day our daughter Mia was stillborn at 20 weeks gestation. How do I ask people to honor me for Mother’s Day, when my child is not here?
It can be the most isolating day, and yet I try to find the joy in it. I infuse the day with love for my own mother (I also infuse the day with a lot of champagne….it helps). I try to reach out to every mamma around me and say how much I appreciate them. Every connection helps to ease my heart ache.
That is why I am so humbled and happy to share the new project by Morgan Brown.
For every time you’ve wished to tell your mom “Happy Mother’s Day”, there are just as many mothers out there longing to hear it (and visa versa). On May 14th, she is making that happen.
This Mother’s Day, Death Dialogue is connecting mothers whose child/ren have died with people whose mothers have died so they can hear or say those three special words. Conversations don’t have to center around the death of your loved one (unless you want to!)–this is simply a chance to chat with someone who gets that this day can be a hard one.
This event is about more than just connecting people:
It’s about getting to talk to someone who understands Mother’s Day isn’t always celebratory.
It’s about acknowledging Mother’s Day in a way that honors your loss.
It’s not about replacing your loved one, it’s about connecting with someone who recognizes their importance.
It’s about collective grief and collective healing. By allowing people on both sides of mother and child loss to show up for each other in a powerful way, we can find community, connection, and empathy. It is, quite literally, a different kind of Mother’s Day.
It’s a chance to know you’re not alone and hopefully make a new friend while you’re at it!
“Realizing people without mothers aren’t the only ones grieving on Mother’s Day was another mountain moment for me. I asked myself, What if, instead of distantly empathizing for mothers who’ve lost children, I connect with them, hear their stories, and hold space for the child in their life who is gone?
What if I invited others who’ve lost a mother into it as well?
That’s how the A Different Kind of Mother’s Day project was born.”
How it works:
-Fill out the participation form on adifferentkindofmothersday.com
– A few days before Mother’s Day, you’ll get an email with your match’s name, a little bit about them, and their phone number
– On Mother’s Day, call your match and connect!
– Once it’s over, share your experience with us (more details on this soon).
FAQs + Details:
-Age doesn’t matter. Whether you’ve had a baby die early in life or a mother die late in their life and at a natural age– or anything in-between– this event is for you.
-It’s possible you’ve experienced both the death of your mom and the death of a child. Pick the category that feels right for you. (i.e. are you wanting to hear “Happy Mother’s Day” or say it? Sidenote: you can do both on your call! This is just for matching purposes).
I hope you join us!
Let me hear your thoughts!