Minister’s Letter 5/1/2026
Dear Friends,
May 10th is Mother’s Day. This is a day of fun and beauty for many. It is a day to celebrate the joys of motherhood. A day to celebrate the excitement of raising children. A day to honor the accomplishments and transformations of oneself as a mother and of one’s children. It is a day to play in the spring weather, when we get it, and to frolic amongst the tulips and violets. It is a day of honoring, storytelling, and joy.
For others, Mother’s Day is a challenge. It is a day of grieving. Grieving the loss of mother’s to death, abandonment, addiction, prison, or simply heartbreak as some mothers have caused more harm than nurturing. This can be a day of loss, not only of a mother, but of children or the potential of children. It can be a day of remembering that which has not been.
Motherhood brings endless ups and downs. It brings anticipation, excitement, disappointment, and loss. However you are feeling as we approach this unique holiday, you are held with love. You deserve care and compassion. You deserve patience and accompaniment. Your church is responsible for being there for you, however you come into this day. One thing to keep in mind, beloveds, is to be cautious as you offer the greeting of, “happy Mother’s Day,” to the people you see. For some, this is a welcome greeting, for others, a hard one to hear. Be mindful. Be intentional. Be gracious if you make a mistake.
I do want to note that many of us have had mothering people in our lives even if they were not the mothers who raised us. Maybe there was an aunt, a grandmother, a mentor, a teacher, a dad, a friend, or so many others, who gave us the mothering care we were looking for. Maybe these mothers held us when we needed to be held. Maybe these mothers guided us when we needed guidance. Maybe these mothers pushed us when we needed to be pushed. Maybe these mothers protected us when we needed protection.
We may have been mothering to others as well, mothering even when no one called us, “mom.” There is no one way to be a mother. This is an open-ended position with no clear job description listed on LinkedIn. Prayerfully, motherhood should be a choice. Maybe it is a choice you are making today, at this very moment. Maybe you are thinking of those you have mothered and take pleasure in the relationship you have. There are so many possibilities.
This holiday started as a call to end war, for mothers of one country to be too gentle to mothers of another to allow their sons to cause harm to one another. Julia Ward Howe, a Unitarian, authored the Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870. As the war with Iran continues, the genocide in Gaza continues, the devastation in Sudan continues, attacks on immigrants continue, our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to use every holiday as a day to proclaim “No!” to war. May we all be too gentle. May we all be so wise. May we all be so committed. The world is not yet what we dream it could be. Allow this to be a day to call you forward in the names of love, justice, and peace.
In faithful solidarity,
