To every woman who is a mom to children she gave birth to or adopted.
And to every woman who is a mom to friends and family who are blessed by her nurturing spirit, whether or not any child calls her mommy.
You are all mothers.
And to each of you I wish a year filled with love that continues to soften your heart and the hearts of those to whom you will always be mom.
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Two and a half years ago Mom left this earth without much warning. She couldn’t bear to live anywhere but by the side of Dad, who passed even more suddenly six months earlier. I will miss both of them for the rest of my life.
But now my thankfulness for Mom overpowers all sad. Below is a link to a blog I wrote for her 80th birthday at a time when we thought we’d have another 20 years together. I think if I were to write this piece now, I would emphasize one of her greatest legacies: my mom was truly one of the most forgiving people I have ever known.She had a hard childhood, she had people be unkind to her (as we all do) and family betray her (fortunately most of us don’t experience such sadness). But she never, ever held a grudge and always, always forgave. And when my dad was breathing his last, she asked his forgiveness for the times she had hurt him, she forgave him for the times he had hurt her. One last act of forgiveness, to cover anything she had unknowingly missed in 64 years. Within minutes my dad quietly stopped breathing – total peace for them both.
Forgiveness is often the missing link in the chain of joy and love and healing of relationships. I’ve heard miraculous stories of people being healed of cancers and other illnesses once they let go and forgave even the worst atrocities.
Oh that we would all exercise forgiveness daily. Then we could sing with Daddy while he continues to whistle in heaven: It’s a Wonderful World. Because then it would be. For everyone.
Love you momma. Forever. Thank you for so many life lessons. Thank you for exactly who you were and are.
Here is the link to the 80th birthday post: Things I’m Glad to Have Learned from Mommy
And the link to something I jotted down for Mom the other day: The Gift of Mom
I’ve written more posts about Mom because she’s worthy to be honored in my writing. But I won’t add ALL the links here!
And here’s a picture of my 3 awesomely beautiful, intelligent, kind, and caring daughters:
My Daughters
