When Mothers' Day doesn't look like what you see on everyone else's Facebook feeds.

Today writer, radio and TV personality Rachel Corbett shares with Mamamia how her families Mothers’ Day celebrations have changed over time.

For the past 24 hours Facebook has been flooded with beautiful photos of Mother’s Day picnics and long boozy lunches, glowing tributes to amazing women who have shaped peoples lives and photos of excited new parents experiencing this day for the very first time.

But for many, yesterday didn’t resemble the images we’re so used to seeing in David Jones ads and on Facebook feeds.

For some, yesterday was a difficult reminder of a mother they’ve lost or a child no longer with us.

For others it threw harsh light on a relationship that needs mending or the realities of a mother who is battling illness.

For my amazing mother, yesterday was spent in hospital, the result of the final stages of a ten-year battle with Alzheimers. The back of an ambulance is a place she’s becoming all too familiar with these days as her mind and body find it more and more difficult to cope with the effects of this horrible disease. But even though she was exhausted and afraid and so confused, I have never been prouder of her in my entire life.

While Mother’s Day’s for us has not resembled the Hallmark ideal for many years, seeing the way she has dealt with this crippling condition has done more for me than any shopping trip or girls lunch could have ever done.

While I would give anything to change the cards this incredible woman has been dealt, seeing her deal with her disease the way she has, has fundamentally changed me as a person. If a mother is supposed to provide an example of how to be the best person you can be, then I don’t think I would have learned half as much from 10 champagne lunches as I have from watching the way she’s changed over the last ten Mother’s Days and the strength and grace she has exhibited every step of the way.

And while for the cynical, Mother’s Day may feel like nothing more than and excuse to sell greeting cards, for those who were reminded yesterday of a mother they miss, a child they’ve lost or a woman who no longer resembles the person they grew up with, it was so much more than that.

When so many people complain about having to call their mother or take her out for lunch, there are many people who would give anything to have the opportunity to do that one more time. So if your Mother’s Day didn’t resemble the image we’re sold in glossy magazines, you are not alone and your day was just as important as everyone else’s.

Rachel Corbett has spent the past years living the nomadic life of a radio presenter, co-hosting breakfast shows for Triple M Melbourne, Sea FM Central Coast, SAFM Adelaide and 92.9FM Perth, as well as 2DayFM’s national night show The Hot 30 Countdown and Triple M’s Drive Show Paul & Rach.

You can catch Rachel weekly on the Paul and Rach podcast and regularly on The Today Show on Channel 9 and Paul Murray Live on Sky News.

You can also follow Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.

What does Mothers’ Day look like in your family?