Memorial Gift Ideas for Mother's Day

My Mum sadly passed away in 2007. She was ill for some time before she passed away.

Although my Mum was very ill, she still always greeted me with a smile on her face, and told me off for being sad.

Right up until the last day my Mum stayed positive and strong.

Even though I knew my beloved Mum was dying, she appeared to be the same as normal, which made it all the more harder to accept. My Mum had always been the person I ran to in a crisis, the person I stayed up talking to for hours just because we could, the person who I would phone when one of my children got sick, and the person who was there for me no matter what.

She was not just my Mum but she was my best friend too.

When my Mum passed away, it hit me that never again would I get to tell her how much I love her or phone her up or just do all the general things that people take for granted. My beautiful amazing Mum had gone forever and a piece of me went with her that day.

The first Mothers day without my Mum, I felt depressed all day. I got jealous of friends who were going to see there Mum's and annoyed at the people who had forgot about Mother's day or who just moaned about their Mum's full stop.

I felt like shouting "At least you have you're Mum". Nothing stops the pain you feel when all you want to do on Mothers day is go and see your Mum, which is why I decided that I would still celebrate my Mum on mothers day, after all that is what the day is all about.

My Mum may not be here in person, but I know she is here in spirit, and I wanted to be able to do something special for my Mum every year.

Here is some of the ways in which I do this, and a few ideas that I have still yet to do.

1. My Dad bought a big album that he used to put all the kind cards he got when my Mum passed away in, so every year on Mother's Day I send a card with a little thought or poem inside and my Dad puts it up for Mother's Day, and then places it in the folder along with the others.

I found it very hard trying to buy a Mother's Day card without a verse meant for a Mum who is still here, so instead I designed my own card on Moonpig.com and typed a little poem inside. You can do a card with a photo of your Mum or there are many other suitable designs for you to choose from.

2. After my Mum passed away I dug out a flower bed and planted a Rose for my Mum, my children also planted some pretty flowers in there.

Every year on Mothers day, I go out and tend to the flowers. I also bought a plaque for the flower bed from my local florist which is like a stone Bible with two pages, one side has a cross with the word 'Mum' underneath, and the other side has a flower and the words 'Forever in our Hearts'.

You can also get these plaques in the shape of a cross, a star or a teardrop.

EBay also sell some beautiful butterfly picks for a couple of pound, I brought a Nanny one from my children.

3. My Children obviously found it equally as hard losing their Nanny, and so when she passed away they all let a balloon go for her.

Now on Mothers day, we buy a Nanny balloon from the card shop and they all let them go for their Nanny.

They often say Goodnight to their Nanny and look out for the brightest star in the sky.

4. You can buy beautiful Mum candles from most gift shops, and I know that some sites offer personalisation too. This is not something I have done as yet, but I think it is a lovely idea to buy a Mum candle and light it every year.

5. A few years ago a family member stumbled across a lovely memorial site called GoneTooSoon, this site enables you to create an everlasting tribute to your loved ones. This is a free service where your friends and family members can also light a virtual candle and leave a tribute on anniversaries, birthdays and special occasions such as Mothers Day.

6. My family paid for some flowers to be planted at the Hospice where my Mum passed away, we would take my Mum to sit outside often, so it seemed very fitting. You can also send a bouquet of flowers or a donation to say Thank You for the care your loved one received in their memory.

7. I mentioned before that I planted a Rose but is also nice to plant a tree in memory of your loved one, along with a personalised plaque.

8. As i said my children see their Nanny as the brightest star in the sky, and so another lovely idea is to buy a 'Name a Star Gift Box' where you can name a star after a loved one which will never be forgotten.

9. Making a scrapbook or memory book is also a good idea as you can fill it with memories and photos, this is a particularly good idea if you have children as they can look through it with you. We are currently making one for our children so they will always remember what an amazing person their Nanny was.

10. I know this one is nothing to do with Mothers day but I thought it was worth a mention, I have a lovely Christmas Tree ornament which is shaped like an angel and has a photo of my Mum inside, and we place it on the Christmas tree every year. Last year i bought my Mother in Law one for her tree with a photo of her Father inside, and she was very pleased with the gift.

11. I also have a beautiful wooden memory box and inside are some photo's of me and my Mum and also a few items of my Mums jewellery, I have since added memories of my own.

12. Another nice idea is to put a tribute in you're local paper, a lot of local newspapers actually do a double page spread on Mothers day where you can send in your messages to your Mum.

13. For a lasting gift, you can make a tribute video using one of your Mum's favourite songs and a collection of your most memorable photographs.

Movie Maker is a free video editor which comes as standard on most laptops, but is quick and easy to download, if you don't already have it.

Special occasions are celebrated throughout the year, so my thinking is "Why not celebrate you're loved ones who are no longer here". After all you are not just celebrating their lives, but the person that they were and what they meant to you. You are keeping their memory alive and I have found a great comfort from this, and I hope you can too ♥