Editor’s letter:

From The Weekly’s Sarah Henry

It’s a simple six-letter word. It’s not glamorous or fashionable. It’s not shouty or bold. Yet simply thinking about it can create images of comfort and care alongside heart and home. It has been said that it is often the first and sometimes the last word to roll off our lips in life. It’s the word “mother” and more than 40,000 people in 102 countries voted it the most beautiful word in the English language.

Freedom and liberty, peace and passion, renaissance and destiny are all right up there on the 70-strong list of favorites. Even twinkle and flip-flop get a look in, but none come anywhere close to toppling mother. There are many definitions for mother, but for me, it is best summed up by this… A mother is the most amazing, strong, loving and heroic woman you will ever know. She gets up earlier and stays up later than anyone else, and still manages to keep the family together. She teaches you the things you can’t learn from anyone else through examples and hard work. Often punishing you for things you don’t think are fair as a child but grow up to appreciate the character she helped you build. Or as Agatha Christie put it: A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly on all that stands in its path.

This will be my 10th Mother’s Day. Each year, the cards may get more readable, but the job itself doesn’t get any easier. Some days, I think I’m nailing the whole motherhood thing; others, I fear I’m failing on every level. I’ve been assured by my own mother that things will turn out just fine, but still, like many of you, I ride the rollercoaster. This issue, we’ve asked some familiar faces to share their thoughts about their mums and the letters are so full of love that it’s hard to think the word mother will ever lose its “most beautiful” title.

Happy reading.