Mother’s Day is a tender one for me.
It’s been six years since my mum passed, and while time keeps moving, some things remain. Her absence is one of them. Every year, when May rolls around, I feel the shift. The shops fill with cards, flowers, and well-meaning gift guides, and while I love celebrating motherhood, there’s an ache that sits quietly behind it all.
Grief doesn’t follow a straight line. It loops back, sometimes softly, sometimes with a sudden intensity. I miss her when I’m cooking, when I’m tired, and when I’m making decisions. I wish I could ask her what she would do. I miss her when I see the kind of grandmother she would’ve been to Izabella.
My beautiful Mum, Felicity.
But here’s the other truth: I’m also a mother. A good one. And I want to honour that.
This Sunday, like many others, I’ll be wading through both grief and joy. I’ll be missing my mum while holding tightly to the love I have for my daughter. I’ll probably cry. But I’ll also laugh, be covered in sticky kisses, and soak up time with the little person who calls me Mum.
It’s a strange, sacred space being the middle generation. I am no longer the daughter with a mum to call, but now the mum someone else looks up to.
My daughter Izabella and I
And it’s in this space that Circlarity’s Generational Picnic idea was born. It’s not just about beautiful setups or curated grazing tables (though we love those too). It’s about creating space for stories, connection, and honouring the women who came before us, and the ones we’re raising now. For some families, that means celebrating with mums and grandmothers present. For others, like mine, it means creating new rituals that make space for the ones we’ve lost while holding close the ones still with us.
The Beautiful Generational Family
So, if you’re walking into this Mother’s Day with a heavy heart, you’re not alone. It’s okay to feel joy and sadness in the same breath, to laugh and cry on the same day, to feel grateful and exhausted.
And if you’re a mum, I hope you can take a moment to celebrate yourself, not just for what you do but for who you are. The love you give, the resilience you carry, the softness you offer, all of it matters.
Let’s remind ourselves and each other that motherhood deserves recognition more than once a year. Love doesn’t end; it just changes form.
Whether your Sunday is slow, loud, joyful, painful, or all of the above, may it be honest. May it be yours.
With love,
Claire 🌿
Founder, Circlarity Events Co.