Mother's Day Stories

To all mums everywhere - Happy Mother's Day! We have two heart-warming stories of mums who have overcome adversity.

‘Naturally maternal’ minister Lucy had to accept the harsh reality she might not marry or have children.  After years as a single minister, Lucy’s desire to become a wife was achieved, when she met and married Aaron. She says: ‘When I was unmarried in my thirties, it was tough coming to terms with the possibility I wouldn’t marry or have children.’

However, unexplained infertility for the couple, and later the devastation of miscarriages while being treated with IVF, left them rocked – Lucy once again had to come to terms with not becoming a mother. Exhausted physically and emotionally, they decided to adopt their family instead.

‘Before our two girls came to live with us, I felt God telling me “These are your children”,’ says Lucy, beaming. ‘I remember our first day as a family – there were toys everywhere and I spent the day hugging my girls.’

Admittedly, family life is far from perfect. The family has been strained by many extremely hard times as the girls struggled with being adopted and battled fiercely with their parents. ‘But, they are my children and I love them. I don’t give up on them,’ Lucy asserts. ‘The first time I heard my children say “Mummy”, my heart jumped into my mouth – I never thought I’d hear someone say that!’

Despite the challenges before and those ahead, Lucy testifies: ‘When things are tough or it’s difficult to hang on, I remember again my certainty these children are a gift to us from God – and I make sure I tell them they are, too.’

Mary, from Yorkshire, lost touch with her daughter 15 years ago. Mary had been seriously injured in a car crash, and when she woke up in hospital, her daughter wasn't there. "I think she felt helpless, and my injury had caused a rift within my family," she explained. Mary tried to make contact with her daughter, but got nowhere. She had moved house.

After many years of fruitless searching, a friend of Mary's suggested that she tried to find her daughter via The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service. "I thought I'd give it a try. And sure enough a few months later, the team contacted me to say they had found her. You can imagine how I felt  - and to be told that she wanted contact with me was amazing," she said.  Mary also found out she had a grandaughter too. 

"My daughter and I have been writing to each other, and in a few weeks time we'll be meeting up for the first time in 15 years. It's wonderful, I am so excited, but also nervous at the same time."