Here we go again – like Groundhog Day, it’s Mother’s Day again this weekend – this time for Europe, Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, amongst others. Although, thanks to the [cough] genius of social media, those of us in the UK & Ireland get to experience it all over again!
*
Snark aside, for those of you who are feeling that creeping ‘uh oh’ feeling as Mother’s Day gets closer, I really hope that some of the events and resources below feel nourishing for you. And if it’s not ‘your turn’ for Mother’s Day this month, please know that you are still very welcome to attend the events, as we’re all mothers in our hearts, every single day of the year.
*
The video above has just been released and it’s a collaborative song created by the Childless Voices choir, led by Helen Louise Jones, founder of Our Healing Voice, and is called ‘Calm After the Storm.’ I hope you find it an encouraging reminder that although childlessness may feel like a life sentence of misery at first, for some of us – with time, love, community, mourning and healing, we can and do recover. Speaking for myself, childlessness has changed my life, and changed me, in ways just as profoundly as I believe motherhood would have done – and with perhaps just as many peaks and troughs too! The nasty pronatalist notion that childless women are in some way ‘immature’ does not match my experience of the tens of thousands of them that I’ve met, worked with, and interacted with over the last 12 years. So please take heart if you are struggling, and lean into the many resources which are now available (some below), none of which were around when I began my childless journey 15 years ago.
*
Hope to see you at one of these events soon and do keep an eye on my Events page as there are other things in planning that I’m involved in as the year continues, and I’ll share them there, or in my monthly newsletter.
*
Sending you gentle hugs,
*
Jody x
What's your experience?