Celebrating Mother’s Day

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mum

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being.  I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.  ~Graycie Harmon

We are celebrating Mother’s Day today in Ireland. I feel blessed to have my own lovely Mum, who as I have mentioned before was a tower of strength to me when I was diagnosed with cancer. My Mum is the epitome of the kind of mother who, seeing there are only four pieces of cake for five people, will say that she never cared for cake anyhow. And her strength of character and compassion are attributes I have strived to emulate my entire life.

They say there is something special about an Irish Mammy, but I don’t think the Irish Mammy has the monopoly on specialness. All mothers are special and they deserve at least one day a year of being made to feel that way. Of course, I am also very acutely aware of some special friends who are mothers with cancer facing an uncertain future today. You want to shield your precious family from worry, with a mother’s instinct to protect, and yet you are facing fear on your own behalf and theirs. And friends who have lost their own beloved mothers, many to cancer, are facing a difficult day today, particularly  if it is the first Mother’s Day without her. Also, for those dealing with the heart-breaking situation of dementia or Alzheimer’s, changing the mothers you once knew into strangers, today may also be difficult for you.

Boyzone singer, Ronan Keating speaks openly of his own grief at the loss of his mother, Marie, to breast cancer in 1998. Along with his family, Ronan set up the The Marie Keating Foundation in her memory, which funds two mobile cancer awareness units in Ireland. Last year Ronan released an album in time for Mother’s Day, Songs For My Mother , which was Ronan’s tribute to his mother, a compilation of her favorite songs or songs she sang around the house, or to him, as he was growing up.

In Australia and the US, many breast cancer charities organise Mother’s Day walks to raise funds for breast cancer research. I think this is a wonderful idea and I would like to see us adopt a similar event here in Ireland to support mothers who are affected by cancer and to honour the memory of those who have been lost to cancer.  It would be a wonderful way for us to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Related Post: When Mother’s Day Hurts

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