Mother's Day has always been a day full of cards, chocolate and flowers for the women in our lives that loved us. It's always been happy and exciting. I never really thought of how this holiday could be a total downer for some. Unfortunately, it has become quite melancholy for me. There is a mother I know who has shown me nothing but love all her life. Unfortunately she is gone and this brings great sadness to me this Mother's Day.
Magalie Placide.
If there was ever a family I lived within walking distance from for over 15 years, there couldn't have been a better choice than Maggie's. When the two families got together, it was always so organic. We all really acted like family to each other. We had so many good memories.
Maggie was a mother I knew I'd see and say "happy Mother's Day" to. I knew I'd give her a call or stop by with a card. I never considered that would stop any time soon. She was a mother that treated me like her own. She always enforced my body positivity. When she was struggling financially, she still made sure to give everyone a gift. She was thoughtful. Selfless. Maggie was so sweet and loving you'd never suspect her livelihood was constantly in danger.
Maggie was a victim of domestic violence. It's crazy how you can live near someone, see them constantly, and not know the pain they experience. It hurt.
So when a day like Mother's Day comes around, I think about my mom. I think about my aunts and cousins. I think about my friends. There's all these mothers I'm surrounded by and I can celebrate with. But then I have to think about Maggie. I have to think about her mom. Her kids. Her hopes and dreams.
It really stinks when you call your cousins. You try to feel that energy, that love that was there back when our family was whole. Hearing the distance that's been created between us really messes me up. We aren't the same anymore; that joy we shared is fading. This makes it hard to enjoy today.
Maggie will forever be my mother. She taught me love and fearlessness. For that I am forever grateful.
We'll all heal; I claim it. But I will never think of Mother's Day the way did when I was young. The innocent concept of motherhood. The façade of them not having problems and pains- readily available at our beck and call. I think of women who are human. Woman who are scared. Who don't know exactly what they're doing. This is all a part of the process and now I know. Now I can love and appreciate moms in a way I was once naïve to. I hope this helps me be there for them in a real way.
Celebrate your moms. Love your moms. Protect your moms. Defend your moms.
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