Last Sunday I woke up at 6am. It was Mother’s Day.

I turned my alarm off and sat up in bed. I blinked and saw that it was pitch black outside. The street lights were still on. The stars were still out in the sky.

I got up and changed into my running gear, in the dark. I ate my usual breakfast, but in the dark.

I tiptoed around the house so I wouldn’t wake up my children.

I think celebrating motherhood on a special day is a beautiful thing. And this day, I wanted to celebrate it in a special way.

I grabbed my keys, my rain jacket and snuck out of the house before anyone else woke up.

And this is where I went.

A friend and I (Hi Nellie!) participated in an event called the Mother’s Day Classic – a walk or run around the city, dedicated to women affected by or living with breast cancer.

We were walking for our beautiful friend Claire, who died last month.

We were thinking about her husband and 3 children, and sending them a little prayer from our hearts.

This is me in PINK! Supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

As I was walking towards the finish line, I noticed that some participants pinned tributes onto the back of their t-shirts. It was just a piece of paper with the names of people who have lost their lives.

And I saw one young lady who had 4 names printed on her back.

Part of me gulped in pain, but the other half was so moved that this young woman was here. On this walk.

It struck me… that in a way, these 4 names were brought back to life, their lives were celebrated in this young woman’s heart… and I thought… when the time comes, when I pass from this world, who will wear my name on their back? Who will remember what a kind of person I was? Who will hold me in their heart forever?

Yeah, I had a bit of a heavy, emotional moment as I crossed the finish line.

Standing under the early morning sky. Dewy grass making my shoes wet. Cold air making my cheeks red. Surrounded by thousands of people… all remembering their mother or wife or sister or friend. All looking beyond ourselves, all remembering others. And all inspired to love and live each day a little bit better.

It was a really beautiful way to celebrate being a mother, and woman.