"Mothering Sunday is a great opportunity to show our love and appreciation to all who ‘mother’"

By the Reverend David Lyddon
St George’s and St Paul’s, Tiverton

Next Sunday, March 14, is Mothering  Sunday and no doubt cards, flowers and gifts will be sent or given to  our mothers or to all who ‘mother’.  There will be opportunity to speak  in person or via the phone or internet with words of love and thanks on  this special day.

This year, due to the pandemic, the day  will be different: no family gatherings, as we continue in lockdown for  a few more weeks.

The restrictions of the past year, with  the separation of families and for many, the loss of a family member  through Covid or the post- viral effects of this illness, has made it  for most people a really tough time.

The fun spent with our families and  friends is so important to our wellbeing, and due to this pandemic this  has been severely limited of late.

As a result, Mothering Sunday is a  great opportunity to show our love and appreciation to all who ‘mother’,  whether it is our own mothers or those who care for us. There will be  many emotions on Sunday – from memories of our mothers, for treats and  surprises for those mothers who can be with their families, to the use  of Facetime or Zoom to contact and see our mothers whom we haven’t seen  for a long time.

There will also be feelings of sadness  for those people unable to have children or who have bad memories of  their mothers for whatever reason. On this day of love and thanksgiving,  we must always be mindful of those who struggle with its emotions.

The history of this particular day in  our calendar stems from the return of children to visit their mothers  with bunches of primroses or daffodils – probably picked from the  hedgerows on their way home! All this took place long before the  telephone, letters being posted and gifts via Amazon came into being!  However, the sentiment is still the same – to show our love and thanks  to those who care for us.

In these tough times of lockdown, it is  worth remembering that out of this period some good things have come.  The most important of these is the way people have cared for each other –  whether in our families, through supportive friends or through the many  care agencies that are around.

In caring for someone, we are putting the interest of another before our own.

In doing so, we not only support someone in their need but are loving them as God loves them.

We read in the Bible of the way Jesus  cared for people; he showed compassion not merely by listening to them  but also by emotionally feeling for them in their distress.

Jesus still today understands our  situation and journeys with us as we travel through the ups and downs of  life. The fact that God, as seen in Jesus, cares should give us hope  for the future and trust in his love for the present.

Have a lovely Mothering Sunday!