Many dates cause the heartache to resurface and tears to roll down our cheeks. They are usually days with significant meaning. An anniversary, a birthday, a child’s birthday, the first date, or the day we became a widow. Many days have no real meaning, but a trigger happens, and there we are a pile of mush.
Today, this is a day for many widows to feel the anguish of living as a widow. Taking on the other title of “single mom.” (This could be another discussion.) So, as I say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the beautiful widows in the world, I want to talk to the incredible mommas of teens and younger.
To be celebrated we depended on our spouse to either get that special gift for the littles to give us or take the littles to grab a unique gift we would treasure. As we enter widowhood on a day we deserve to be celebrated, we feel our broken hearts crumble. No one to gather up the littles to sign the card or wrap the gifts.
In a moment when we feel we have become “super mom” due to the fact, we are the only ones left to care for these tiny souls. And there is no celebration. This is when we also may feel like we have failed as moms. Due to our grief, we succumbed to what we have been living alone.
I want to encourage all the widows of littles, celebrate yourself today. You have become a unique, strong, powerhouse of a momma!
Even on those days, you don’t feel like it… YOU ARE!
Even on those days, you don’t want to “mother”… YOU ARE!
Grab onto the paper flower pots, handprint artwork, and the gorgeous macaroni necklaces. Those are better treasures than any you thought you “would have” gotten. Take time today to go sit outside and feel the fresh air. Read your child’s favorite book to them. Order the meal from that restaurant down the street. Cry. Cry some more. Be pissed. You can be pissed. But know you are seen! Your pain is felt by many. The steadfast love and devotion to your littles will only blossom one day into something extraordinary!
Recognize what you have gone through, and how you are dealing with it all. Those littles still think you are the best mommy they could ever have. And one day when they all grow up, they will be in awe of the strength you exemplified.
I celebrate with you all today on this possibly very lonely Mother’s Day. I pray for comfort to fill your day and wisdom to know how amazing you are!
Love and Blessings
About Jacki Corta
Jacki Corta is a motivational speaker, intuitive life, and grief coach along with the founder and CEO of Strength > Struggle™. The brand she discovered after traveling the journey of cancer with her husband. She started the Strength>Struggle™ crusade, helping others find their inner strength during some of the scariest times. In 2014, her husband, Douglas was diagnosed with Glioblastoma brain cancer and 20 months later passed away, giving Jacki a new title… Widow. It is Jacki’s mission to share her story with the world and how it can positively impact others in whatever they may face. It is a story of unexplainable strength in life’s most challenging storms, overcoming adversity and finding hope while traveling the difficult path her life took.
It is her ability to communicate and willingness to be vulnerable that connects with her clients and audiences. Jacki believes her purpose here is to impact as many souls as possible showing them that through even the darkest days there is a glimpse of light to grab onto for them to find their strength. Jacki will empower, challenge, and give you a new outlook on your own story.
She is a mother of three adult girls and a Mimi to two beautiful granddaughters. You can follow more of her story and inspiration on Instagram @jackicorta or listen to her podcast Jacki Has a Voice on Spotify.