I still get quite emotional as I look at this beautiful picture of class one at the Dunblane Primary School.
Yesterday marked the twenty fifth anniversary of perhaps one of the darkest days in recent British history, we have a very similar school class photograph featuring our eldest daughter when she was the same age as this little class, taken just two years before this sweet picture. I guess that like most parents, I can imagine the pain felt by the families of the sixteen children and their teacher who lost their lives that fateful day and also those who were injured, who will still bear the scars today.
You might remember that the Dunblane massacre happened on the morning of Wednesday 13th March 1996, just four days before Mothering Sunday that year, we printed off flyers and handed them around to parents dropping their children off at the same school that our daughter attended at the time, inviting them to the service at our church on the Mothering Sunday morning. I was a duty steward that morning and can remember having tears rolling down my cheeks as the packed Church remembered with deep sadness what had happened just a few days earlier and the parents who would have been particularly devastated that morning.
Even twenty-five years on, I confess to finding it very difficult to write this, but I think that it is important as we share in the joy of this day, that we remember this day is not easy for everybody. There will be people who long to spend Mothering Sunday with their own mums, but social distancing and travel restrictions make that impossible this year. There will be those for whom this is their first year without their mum.
For me, the important message of this special day is about “mothering” not just about being thankful for our mums, important as that might be. Mothering is about caring for others, nurturing those who are embarking on new experiences in life, creating a place where those around us feel loved and cared for. If you would like to take a moment to pray on this important day, we offer a prayer from the Church of England.
Loving God,
Thank you for mums and children
and for all the joy of family life.
Be with those who are grieving because they have no mother;
Be close to those who are struggling because they have no children;
Be near to those who are sad because they are far apart from those they love.
Let your love be present in every home,
And help your church to have eyes to see and ears to hear the needs of all who come.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.