Mother’s Day Musings
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Mother’s Day can hold SO MANY emotions at once. It’s a week away and I have some quick musings I’d like to share.
For some, Mother’s Day is a beautiful celebration. Maybe even a chaotic brunch at a favorite restaurant or breakfast in bed served by sticky fingers that helped dad cook. This has been the majority of ours (Thanks Travis!) and my absolute favorite.
For others though, it’s a painful reminder of the passing of their mother, a longing to become a mother, a strained relationship, or someone deeply missed. Life hits us all differently, but it’s all hard at some point. Every year is a bit different for me, but I try to embrace whatever the experience brings.
After my mom’s passing, I was already a mother to two little girls. It was challenging for me to step up as her caretaker while raising these 2 beautiful souls. Yet it brought me comfort and peace too. There were moments I would want to call her up and tell her something the girls or Travis had done that I knew would make her laugh. But I couldn’t, so I prayed.
As my consciousness expanded throughout the years, I knew that I could still talk to her in a different way and that changed everything for me. I just recently saw a video on instagram of a man who’s therapist told him to just pick up the phone and record himself as if he was on FaceTime with his mom and have a conversation, tell her everything that was was on his heart. It was a beautiful alternative, so I offer that suggestion to you anytime but especially if you are missing your mom around Mother’s Day.
I’m sure you’ve all also heard that interview with Andrew Garfield during a press tour where he famously reframed grief as "unexpressed love" after his mother passed. "I hope this grief stays with me, because it's all the unexpressed love that I didn't get to tell her." Does this resonate with you as much as it does with me? What a beautiful reminder to tell our loved ones, that are still pysically here, how much we love them everyday so that love doesn’t go unexpressed. I still tell my mom now how much I love her because I know she can hear me.
Grief has a way of reshaping holidays. It softens some things, sharpens others, and often invites us to hold space for memories, love, and the people who helped shape us. Over time, I’ve let go of all expectations as Mother’s Day approaches. Sometimes it’s celebration. Sometimes it’s remembrance. Sometimes it’s simply making it through the day.
We’re all doing our best. Motherless mothers. Motherless daughters. Parents of rainbow babies. Friends struggling with loss and infertility. Friends estranged from their parents. If this season feels tender for you, I hope you give yourself permission to honor WHATEVER emotions co. Light a candle. Share a story. Go for a nature walk. Listen to music. Look for the little signs that remind you love never really leaves us.
And if you are celebrating with your mother, your children, or the people who have nurtured you along the way, I hope you soak in the presence of it all. The ordinary moments, the simple gestures, the hugs and I love you’s, are often the most sacred, in my opinion.
Sending love to anyone carrying both grief and joy this Mother’s Day.
There is space for all of it and I’m right here with you.
With love,
Jenny Robinson Clark
Thank you to Curious Hearts Press!
I loved seeing Are You Here? on your list of “Picture books that therapists recommend to adults more often than you think.” I’m sharing a list of books I love too so keep reading below!
BOOK TOUR
Are You Here? is headed WEST!
We’ll stop in Kansas City and then Denver this summer, so please send us all your favorite bookstores, coffee shops, and restaurants.
Thank you to every single one of you who came out to the St. Louis book event last week and shared your favorite parks and kid friendly activities! 48 hours is not enough for The Lou! You can see my post HERE but highlights included Napoli for Travis’s birthday (we sang to him in Italian), the City Museum, and the free attractions in Forest Park like the St. Louis Art Museum and Zoo!
We also visited The Rizzuto Show on 105.7 The Point.
We had no idea he had lost his dad and that the book would resonate so much with him. Yet another sign that this work is touching even the rocknroll hearts. 🖤
NEW PODCAST
Cultivating Joy and Hope Through Grief
Petra Brunnbauer, host of TheJōrni Podcast, is a thoughtful guide in conversations around healing, grief, and growth, and it was such an honor to join her podcast. Here’s a quick clip!
We talked about growing up in a family where grief wasn’t openly discussed, how silence can turn into fear, and why I prefer the word grief over loss because love is still present. I also shared how books like A New Earth and experiences like Dr. Joe Dispenza’s workshop helped me move through grief with more compassion, curiosity, and openness to signs and synchronicities.
We also talked about parenting through grief, keeping my mom’s memory alive for our children, and how Are You Here?was born from those conversations, moments of wonder, and the belief that love continues in beautiful ways all around us.
Open your heart, ask for the signs, and listen to the full conversation. I’d love to hear how you stay connected to wonder, memory, and childlike awe in your own life.
This Mother’s Day, consider gifting a story, a message, or words that linger long after the flowers fade. 🩵
Nothing against flowers! They’re great too. But here’s some of the books that carried me through motherhood, grief, healing, and wonder are the ones I still reach for today.
Books Better than Cards on Mother’s Day
Let’s be honest — most cards, no matter how beautiful, end up in the recycling bin a week later. This Mother’s Day, consider giving a book instead. Stories, reflections, and thoughtful words have been some of my greatest companions through grief, healing, and motherhood.
❖
Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe
A beautiful exploration of signs, synchronicities, and the ways our loved ones continue to reach us. It means so much to me that Amazon recommends it alongside Are You Here? and that bestselling author Laura Lynne Jackson took the time to review my book too. 🥹
❖
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
A grounding reminder by Eckhart Tolle to quiet the ego, let go of attachment to material things and labels, and return to the present moment with more peace and compassion. It gave me a sense of bravery in my acting career, in parenthood, and now as an unlikely author.
❖
I'm Still With You: Communicate, Heal & Evolve with Your Loved One on the Other Side
A tender and comforting read by Sherrie Dillard about grief, healing, and staying connected to the people we love beyond what we can see. At the end of the podcast above, I read a piece of this book but I highly recommend the whole book!
❖
Maybe
Kobi Yamada has written several books that are brought to life by illustrator Gabrielle Barouch but Maybe reminds us of the endless possibility within us. It’s full of wonder, imagination, and encouragement. At Joe Dispenza’a workshop, a woman Heidi gave it to me which ignighted the spark in me to become a children’s book author myself. The flying pig plushy is the cutest gift set!
❖
This newsletter may feel a bit heavy, but I’d love to also share gifts like bracelets and charms, candles, and other small gestures to consider when someone you love is in a season of grief.
One day we’ll have a FULL GIFT SHOP on the website… but for now, could you suggest any gifts for moms that you love? I’ll build a list of resources and link to artisans and creatives we know.
Love never truly leaves us—it lives on in the quiet magic all around us.
When a little girl experiences the passing of her mother, her world feels quiet and still—until magical signs begin to appear. A deer lying still, a blue bird flying high, a rainbow in the sky… Could they be messages from someone she loves?
In Are You Here? author Jenny Robinson Clark tenderly explores the journey of grief through the eyes of a child, offering hope and comfort in the form of magical moments that remind us we are never truly alone.
With luminous illustrations by Elisabetta Fantone Cohen, this timeless story invites children and families to believe in the invisible threads of love that connect us—across time, space, and beyond. A poetic and powerful tale for anyone who has ever missed someone deeply—and found them again in the most unexpected places.
Also available on Amazon in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia
Other major retailers: Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Bookshop.org
✨But it would mean the world to us if you bought it here directly from our small gift shop!✨
Wherever you get your copy, please be sure to leave a review!
Barnes & Noble ❖ Amazon ❖ Books-A-Million ❖ Bookshop.org
🙏 Please also leave a five-star review on Goodreads!
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