Ways to Honor Your Deceased Mother on Mother's Day

When holidays approach, not only is it a time to celebrate our living loved ones, but also a time to celebrate and remember the lives of those that have passed away. Mother's Day is one of the holidays where all matriarchs of the family can be remembered. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate or remember all moms who are no longer with us.

If your church allows for masses or services to be reserved in a person's honor, consider having a mass or service in your deceased mother's honor. Most likely it will be in the weekly bulletin and her name will be mentioned during the service. Should you not be able to book a service in her honor, or if your church does not participate in these types of services, you may want to hold your own remembrance service for her at her gravesite. Select passages from the Bible that pertain to a mother's love, a child's obedience, or her favorite passage and have each person take a turn reading their selected verses/chapters.

Next, if your mother passed away from a condition; like cancer, diabetes or even as a result of an unfortunate accident (drunk driving, medical emergency, natural disaster), you may choose to honor your mom by making a donation in her name to the selected charity which helps people with her condition. If she passed away due to natural causes, a small donation in her name to her favorite non-profit organization is another option. Sometimes, charities allow the purchase of memorial tiles or stones to be purchased with a person's name and date of birth/ date of death on them and a small message of remembrance.

Another way to celebrate your deceased mother on Mother's Day is to hold a feast in her honor. Choose some of mom's favorite recipes and have each person cook a dish, or have one person cook and have someone else assist with other tasks. If someone in the family has mom's dishes, dust them off and use them. At the conclusion of dinner, draw everyone into the family room and watch a recorded movie or compiled photo slideshow that features some of your favorite moments with your mom.

Finally, if you do not have any family nearby or are not close to mom's gravesite, honor her in your own way. Did the two of you have a favorite activity, place, meal or pastime that you liked to do together? If so, whatever you choose to do to honor your mom is a personal decision, and as long as you will always remember your mom on Mother's Day and all other days of the year, which is keeping with the true meaning and spirit of the holiday.