A mitzvah to keep their mums’ light shining
Mums Without Mums is a group of women who have each lost their mothers and who gather every Mother's Day to give back.
Tammy Joffe’s mum was the kind of woman who cared for everyone. She was was kind, selfless and the heart of their family.
So when Joffe lost her in March 2020, she knew she wanted to honour her by doing good for others. From that wish grew Mums Without Mums, a group of women who have each lost their mothers and who gather every Mother’s Day to give back.
“I wanted to do something to honour her,” she told The AJN.
“I started this group as a way to honour my mum’s memory and at the same time, bring together a group of women who have shared the same loss and have the same feelings around Mother’s Day,” Joffe said.
At first, Joffe opened her home to the women. Everyone brought something and enjoyed a beautiful lunch where they were able to bond. After a couple of years doing the same thing, Joffe found Sorella from Abraham’s Tent, who had also lost her mother. A partnership was born.
What started with about 12 to 15 women has grown to nearly 50. For many, it is the one day a year they see one another.
This year, the women returned to Abraham’s Tent, the charity that supports families with loved ones in hospital. They cooked, packed, wore matching aprons donated by Spotlight and shared stories over an afternoon tea generously catered by Felicia’s Catering.
For Joffe, some moments are harder than others. Often, her mum is the first person she goes to call when times are tough or in times of joy. Doing a mitzvah in her name is her way of keeping that love alive.
Joffe said that Sorella shared the sentiments of the group perfectly.
“Some losses never leave us. A mother’s love stays woven into who we are forever,” Sorrela wrote on the Abraham’s Tent social media pages. “Recently, a beautiful group of women who each lost their mums far too young came together to honour their memories in the most meaningful way possible through kindness, giving, and love for others. Together they cooked, volunteered, laughed, shared stories, and turned their pain into something deeply beautiful for families doing it tough in hospital. There is something incredibly powerful about a mitzvah done in someone’s memory. It keeps their light shining in this world.”
The icing on the cake was that after doing such a beautiful mitzvah for others, every woman went home with a raffle prize, donated by the Art Shop Rose Bay, By Kim, Classic Nails & Beauty, Made on Earth, Perfection Chocolates, Commonwealth Bank, Stars Nails, Ta Ta Ta Pizza, Wax & Polish and Wild Trout.
For Joffe, a particular moment stood out when she was scouting the raffle prizes. A stranger at Perfection Chocolates overheard Joffe and quietly bought two chocolate hearts on behalf of the Commonwealth Bank.
“People are so beautiful sometimes,” Joffe said.
Women wishing to join Mums without Mums can get in touch through Abraham’s Tent.