EAST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Mother’s Day is certainly a time to celebrate, but it can be a difficult day for people who have lost their mom or a motherly figure.
However, a wind telephone in an East Nashville front yard is giving people a unique way to feel connected to loved ones who have passed away — especially on Mother’s Day.
Allison Young, a cancer research registered nurse with advanced training in dying, death, and bereavement, installed the wind telephone in her front yard a few years ago.
The idea came from the original wind telephone in Japan.
It looks like a phone booth; inside is a rotary phone, chair, and other items, but there’s no traditional phone line connected.
The concept is simple: people can come and place a call to a loved one who has passed away.
“I do tell people if you don’t know the phone number, just write the name,” said Allison Young.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, Young posted on Facebook, inviting anyone missing their mom to come by and make a call.
“I think it’s important on Mother’s Day, on Father’s Day, on Grandparents’ Day, any of those family days that people come out here and have a chance to have conversations that they may have missed out on,” Young said.
She said the practice can be a meaningful part of the grieving process. It’s based on the Continuing Bonds approach to grief that was created in the 1990s.
“You can use things like a wind telephone, where you continue to tell the person what has happened in your life, they continue to be a part of your life,” Young said. “I feel like people my age truly do benefit from being able to have those continued conversations.”
In addition to Young, I talked to Dr. Aaron Brinen, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Brinen encourages those who have lost their mother to lean into memories rather than avoid them on the holiday.
“Making that person’s favorite recipes, talking with people around you, looking through old photographs, any of those things where you can slowly move toward having that person as a part of your life versus packing that person away,” Dr. Brinen said.
Brinen said whatever someone is feeling while grieving on Mother’s Day is normal, and that reminiscing can be a healthy part of the process.
“What were the things that you do miss, and go back and savor those experiences,” Brinen said.
While Young put out a special invite for Mother’s Day, the wind telephone is always available for anyone who wants to make a call.
Click here for more information about the wind telephone, which is located at 1425 Rosebank Avenue in East Nashville.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Coles verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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