By Mary Beth Magee

Mother’s Day approaches. If you, like me, no longer have your mother here on earth, the day can weigh heavy on your emotions. I’d love to be able to buy my mama a Mother’s Day gift, but those days are gone. I only thank God I was able to give them to her while she lived.

In the five years since she’s been gone, I’ve come up with an option I think she’d approve. Each year, I give a donation in her name to a local charity. I use the money I would have spent on a gift to benefit someone in her name.

My personal favorite? The food pantries since senior citizens make up many of the patrons of the pantries. I’d like to think someone else’s mother can enjoy healthy food in Mama’s memory.

Children’s ministries benefit, too. As the mother of four, grandmother of four and great grandmother of three (one born after she passed), Mama adored children. She even adopted my best friend’s gang. A donation to a children’s ministry carries her love forward to children who never met her.

Mama loved to read, and she instilled the same love in me. She encouraged my writing throughout my life. A donation to libraries helps to share her love of books with others.

If you are blessed to still have your mother on earth, I urge you to appreciate her today and everyday-and a little more on Mother’s Day. If your mother has gone on ahead, won’t you consider a charitable gift in her memory? Through your generosity, your mother can still touch lives.