DEAR ABBY: This letter is far too late for Mother's Day, but it still may do some good.
My family attends a small church in the southern United States. Mother's Day is one service I refuse to attend any more. The atmosphere for this service is funereal. The service starts out with songs like "If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again" and "Mother's Marker." From there, they call mothers who are the "youngest," "oldest" and "has most children" to the front for a gift.
I lost my mom to cancer in 1991, and Mother's Day is the saddest day of the year for me. Even before my mom died, I would go to church and cry along with others who were hurting.
Parents should be honored every day, not just one day. Please, let us all be more considerate to those who no longer have a mom. -- STILL HURTING IN LUTTRELL, TENN.
DEAR STILL HURTING: Amen! And let us not forget the moms who have lost children to death. Be assured that they will never forget.