Grieving in a World Full of Flowers and Brunches

The pastel cards are out. Restaurants are packed. Every ad and Instagram story is shouting about flowers, mimosas, and how to spoil Mom. Mother’s Day shows up each year dressed in celebration—bright, cheerful, and loud.

But for a lot of us, it hits different.

Maybe you’ve lost your mom. Maybe you’ve lost a child. Maybe you’re grieving the version of motherhood you hoped for but haven’t had. Whatever it looks like for you, this day can carry a kind of quiet ache that doesn’t exactly fit in with brunch plans.

It can feel like the world forgot that not everyone is celebrating. That not every heart is light today.

And honestly? There’s this weird pressure to be okay—to smile through it, to show up, to “just get through it.” But grief doesn’t follow the rules. It doesn’t care what day it is. And pretending to be fine when you’re not is exhausting.

If you’re grieving this Mother’s Day, I just want to say: it’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself to celebrate. You don’t have to go to brunch. You don’t have to pretend.
You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel.

If you’re looking for gentler ways to get through the day, here are a few small things that might help:

• Light a candle in their memory

• Write a letter to them—whatever’s on your heart

• Go for a walk and talk to them out loud

• Turn off your phone and give yourself a break from all the posts

• Donate or volunteer in their name, if that feels good

And if none of that feels right, that’s okay too.

To anyone carrying grief this Mother’s Day: you’re not alone. Your love and your pain are valid. Even in a world full of flowers and brunches, there’s room for your heart, exactly as it is.