SHOREWOOD — Mother's Day is just around the corner. While this is a joyous celebration for some, for others it’s a somber holiday and a difficult reminder of loss.
“I used to hate Mother’s Day truthfully," Miranda Malone said.
Malone's Mother's Days weren't like her friends growing up.
“I lost my mom when I was 5 months old in a vehicle accident very tragically and suddenly of course. She was only 19. Her name was Rosalie," Malone said.
The Shorewood mom didn’t have her mother by her side during her greatest and toughest moments.
“There isn’t that mom to go through all the life transitions chapters, and seasons, graduations, weddings, breakups, periods, like everything in between.”
It also meant she didn’t have her mom to teach her how to be a mother.
“Mothering without a mother is, you know, a really deep and profound experience that wasn’t something I was really prepared for," Malone said.
But now, Miranda wants to help other people who have experienced that same sort of loss. She created the Milwaukee Motherless Collective in 2023. She offers monthly resources, workshops, and meet-ups to other women like her. You can find more information on her Instagram and Facebook page.
“I want women and young girls to know if my mom died this is where I go.”
This year she is hosting her first Motherless Mother’s Day Brunch at Cloud Red in Shorewood. There are many ways to celebrate Mother's Day, and a popular one is going to brunch. Those without moms can feel left out and their grief is inflated on this one particular day. This brunch hopes to give these women a safe space and a community of people who understand their feelings.
Watch the video about Miranda Malone and the Milwaukee Motherless Collective...
“Whether you're new in your grief or old in your grief, it’s a day that’s highlighted to remind us that hey mom isn’t here," Malone said.
Malone is a psychotherapist with a practice called New Moon Therapy. She specializes in treating grief, lose, lose, trauma, and anxiety. Given her expertise, she knows that loss affects people differently depending on when it happened in their life. This Motherless Mother's Day Brunch will only be for women who lost their mom between the ages of 0 and 20. She wants to make sure everyone can relate to each other.
The brunch is already sold out but there will be more events throughout the year.
"But for the purpose of feeling like you're being heard seen understood by other women with that loss keeping it segmented into developmental stages is important," she said.
And this Mother’s Day will be another first - her son Jalen’s first birthday. Once every few years, the two will get to share a birthday and Mother's Day. That's a special bond Malone doesn't take lightly.
“Being a mom allowed me to know and feel just how much love my mom had for me because i know how much love I have for him.”
That doesn’t erase the pain from growing up, but it’s a feeling she can take comfort in. She hopes to provide a similar comfort to women like her this Mother’s Day and for years to come.
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