Mother’s Day is nearly here—a day that, at its best, invites us to pause and give thanks for love that has shaped our lives.

Many of us can point to women who have nurtured us in ways both big and small: moms and grandmothers, stepmothers and foster moms, teachers, neighbors, and spiritual mentors. They are the ones who showed up—packing lunches, offering wisdom, saying prayers, wiping tears, and celebrating milestones. Their care, whether steady and quiet or joyful and expressive, is one of life’s great gifts. It is something worth noticing, naming, and celebrating.

And there is real joy in that.

At the same time, Mother’s Day is rarely simple. It can carry a mix of emotions. For some, it brings gratitude wrapped in grief—the memory of a mother who is no longer here. For others, it may surface complicated relationships or the ache of distance and disconnection. Some carry the quiet longing for children, or the weight of loss along the way. And many mothers themselves are in the midst of the beautiful, exhausting, holy work of caring for others day after day.

All of these experiences are part of the story.

Perhaps one way to approach this day is with a spirit of gratitude that makes room for the full picture. To give thanks where we can. To honor the love we have received. To acknowledge the places that still feel tender. And to recognize that “mothering” is something larger than a single role—it is a reflection of care, compassion, and self-giving love that shows up in many forms. As the prophet reminds us, God’s own love is not distant or abstract, but tender and personal: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

So this Mother’s Day, celebrate the goodness. Make the call. Write the note. Speak the gratitude. And if the day feels a bit more complicated, hold that gently too.

However you come to it, may this be a day where love—remembered, given, and hoped for—has the final word.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Tyler Tankersley