Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.- Marion C. Garretty

Tomorrow is that special day when children pull out all the stops and give their mothers the royal treatment. But for some children who have lost their moms, Mother's Day can be a memorial of deep sadness.

George Reid told Saturday Life he had a great relationship with his mother but since she passed away in 1997, things have not been the same.

"She was my best, best friend. I ensured that I did nothing that would hurt her when she was alive," Reid said.

Reid said he was torn apart when she died, and was in such shock, he couldn't cry.

When other children will be cooking for Mom or taking her to that show or restaurant tomorrow, Reid said he will be locked away somewhere, hoping and praying that the day "of torture" will end.

"On special days, I now isolate myself and just drink, drink, drink," Reid said, staring into space.

He said if he had one wish, it would be that his mother was still around.

"I was her favourite child and I miss her," he said.

Shaun Gordon lost his mother to cancer in 2006. She was his life, he told Saturday Life. When she died, he lost a significant amount of weight because he just could not come to grips that the woman who brought him into this world had left him.

"I try to forget that the day (Mother's Day) happens. I try to view it as a normal day because if I give much thought to it, then it will cause me to break down and I don't want that," Gordon said.

Just doing the interview was difficult for the 28-year-old. But he can hardly escape the reminder, considering that the stores are decorated with gift baskets.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com