Heather Connelly, MA, LPC Associate, Certified Mother Loss Practitioner 4/23/26 Heather Connelly, MA, LPC Associate, Certified Mother Loss Practitioner 4/23/26

Mother’s Day Without My Mom: What 50 Years Has Taught Me

A woman kneels at her mother’s gravesite on Mother’s Day, sunlight warming the stone and the small bouquet in her hands. Her shoulders are steady but tender; she lets herself linger in the hush between birdsong and the soft rustle of leaves. The moment holds both ache and a subtle, steadying light—proof that grief and love can coexist.

This is the kind of gentle presence we bring to therapy. We offer a space that feels like that sunlit pause: safe, calm, and held. Our work is trauma-informed and relational, supporting tweens, teens, adults, and couples through life transitions, grief and mother loss, and the shifts of perimenopause and menopause.

You don’t have to rush past the sadness. We’ll sit with it together, help you find language for the parts that feel weighty or confusing, and guide you toward meaning, connection, and steadier ground.

Heather Connelly, MA, LPC Associate, Certified Mother Loss Practitioner 4/6/26 Heather Connelly, MA, LPC Associate, Certified Mother Loss Practitioner 4/6/26

Mother’s Day Was Born From Grief-Not Greeting Cards

Did you know Mother’s Day was started by a motherless daughter? That surprising origin story helps explain why this holiday can feel tender, complicated, or even painful for so many of us, especially motherless daughters. In this post, I share the real history of Mother’s Day in the U.S., from its roots in peace and community care to how it became the national holiday we know today, and why it was never meant to be just a card-and-flowers kind of day. If Mother’s Day brings up grief, longing, or mixed emotions, you’re not alone and support is available through my Motherless Daughters group therapy and individual counseling.