I’ve been thinking a lot about grief the last few days. Mother’s Day always brings up a lot of emotions for me. It’s truly bittersweet. It’s a day that’s equally filled with joy and sadness, because while I am still a mother to two wonderful little boys, I am also still the grieving mother of a little girl in Heaven.

I’ve found over time that the grieving mother comes in many different forms. She may be young or she may be old. Her baby might have passed away just a month ago or a lifetime ago. Regardless, she is still grieving.

The grieving mother might also be the woman that after years of struggling with infertility is still unable to have children. This brave women grieves for the child she has never been able to have.

I’ve had the great, but unfortunate privilege of getting to know many grieving mothers over the last several years. Many, like myself, have lost one of their children to cancer. Others lost a child (or many children) during pregnancy. Some have lost an older child to suicide. Regardless of when the loss occurred or how it happened we all walk around with a hole in hearts. But somehow we manage. We go through life with a smile on our faces. We pretend like everything is perfect, even when we want to fall completely apart.

So to all the moms out there who made it through Mother’s Day by hanging on for dear life, I want you to know that I am with you. I truly feel your pain. Your loss matters and your baby is not forgotten, whether they were ever able to set two feet on this earth or not.

Olivia Caldwell Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that raises money for pediatric cancer research. You can learn more and donate by visiting www.oliviacaldwellfoundation.org.