30 Meaningful Ways to Honor Your Late Mother This Mother’s Day

Losing a parent is the hardest thing we'll ever face, especially our moms. Moms make the world go around. Although the pain of losing a loved one lessens over time, the pain is always there, especially on Mother's Day. Are you looking for some ways to honor your late mom this year? Here are some heartfelt ideas to get you started.

1. Visit Her Grave

Buy the biggest bouquet you can afford in her favorite colors, and go visit.

2. Let Your Emotions Out

Grieving someone takes time. You don't cry all of your tears out in the weeks or even months after her passing. It ebbs and flows, comes and goes. No matter how long it's been since you lost your mom, allow yourself to let your emotions out. All of them. No matter if it's anger, frustration, or debilitating sadness, let it all out.

3. Light a Candle in Her Honor

Choose a candle that is her favorite color or scent and burn it on Mother's Day in her honor.

4. Spend Time with Other Female Relatives

Take some time to visit with your aunts and grandma if they are still in your life. This way, you can support each other and tell funny and heartwarming stories about your mom.

5. Make a Photo Book

Take some time to make a photo book of your mom with special memories or funny stories, and then order copies for yourself, aunts, and grandma.

6. Start a Journal

Start a journal of letters that you write to your mom. These can be once a month or every week for a year. You could also only write to her on Mother's Day to make it more special. Tell her about what's going on in your life and reminisce about your best memories of her.

7. Talk to Your Kids about Your Mom

If your older kids were alive when your mom was, talk to them about their favorite memories with you. If some of your kids weren't around when your mom was alive, talk to them about your favorite memories with her and have your older kids talk about them as well. You can also talk to them about when your mom was younger and tell stories about her life.

8. Start a Memorial Page

Start a page on Facebook where friends, family, coworkers, former employers, etc., can share memories about your mom.

9. Make Your Mom's Favorite Food

If your mom had a favorite meal, serve it on Mother's Day in her honor. If she liked to go out and you can get to her favorite restaurant, do so. In addition, serve her favorite dessert. If she has a recipe for her favorite food or dessert, use it.

10. Make a Website to Honor Her

Start a website where friends and family can share stories and pictures about your mom.

11. Talk to the Lord about Your Mom

Take some time and pray to the Lord about your mom. Ask him to give you his comfort and strength on this tough day.

12. Make a Cookbook

If your mom was into cooking, make a book of her recipes for friends and family.

13. Learn about Her Favorite Hobby

If your mom had a favorite hobby, do some research on it and see what it's all about. This may be something you pursue to feel closer to her.

14. Check Out Her Favorite Music

You may have loved the same music as your mom, or you could have had opposite musical tastes. If the latter is true, put on some of her favorite music and open yourself to a new genre. While listening, reminisce about the good times.

15. Plant Flowers

If your mom had a green thumb or loved a particular flower, consider planting some somewhere at your house.

16. Wear Her Jewelry

If your mom had a favorite piece of jewelry, wear it. If it doesn't fit you, you can always repurpose it into something beautiful that you can wear.

17. Buy a Painting in Her Honor and Hang it in Your Home

Did your mom have a favorite artist? A favorite place, thing, or object? Buy a painting by her favorite artist or one of her favorite things and hang it where you will see it every day.

18. Keep Traditions

If you and your mom had a tradition of going out for breakfast, lunch, or coffee, keep that tradition and ask a friend or family member to join you.

19. Invite Her to Dinner

Set a place for her at the dinner table on Mother's Day. Share things about your mom, like her life stories, favorite memories, and quirks.

20. Go Somewhere

Plan a trip to somewhere your mom always wanted to go; while you're there, write her a letter, describe it to her, and tell her what you are doing while you are there.

21. Give Your Mom's Pets Some Extra Love

If you inherited your mom's dog or cat after she passed, give them some extra love. They miss her just as much as you do.

22. Spend the Day with Your "Other" Moms

We all have ladies in our lives who act like our "other" moms. This could be an older friend, coworker, mother-in-law, or aunt.

23. Volunteer Your Time

Go as a family and volunteer for a cause your mom cared about. This could be a homeless shelter, animal shelter, an organization that works with youth, a religious organization, etc.

24. Donate to Her Favorite Cause

Go as a family, put some money together, and honor your mom by donating to her favorite charity.

25. Shut Down Social Media

The last place you want to be on Mother's Day is social media. Although you don't begrudge those who still have their moms, you don't need to be reminded over and over that you don't have yours. Take a step back, starting the day before through the day after.

26. Focus on Your Kids

Take some time to celebrate yourself as a mother, regardless if it's to your human kids or fur babies. Take some time and think about your accomplishments, like rocking those cookies for the school bake sale or volunteering to help with the school Christmas play. For your fur babies, this could be potty training your dog when they were a puppy or getting the cat to the vet early before a minor incident turned into something big.

27. Don't Acknowledge it at All

If it's too painful to think about your mom or the loss is still too fresh, treat Mother's Day like it's any other day. Go about your routine or plan to do something you enjoy. There is nothing wrong with this.

28. Reach Out for Support

There is nothing wrong with reaching out to people for help. This could be friends or family, or even joining an online support group or starting therapy. Everyone experiences loss differently, and there is no right or wrong way to reach out for the help you need.

29. Talk to Your Dad

If your parents are still married, plan to visit or go out with your dad and trade stories about your mom. He could tell you stories from when they were dating, their married life, and maybe even some stories from when she was a kid that you don't know.

30. Go to the Park

Go somewhere that's quiet, and you can sit down. Then, enjoy the silence and solitude to think.

You can honor your mom on this Mother's Day in many ways. Choose one or two ways that mean the most to you and make plans to honor your mom in either a traditional or whole new way this Mother's Day.