The older I get, the more my friends go through the same thing I did eleven years ago.
The day - Mother's Day, 2008.
That was the first time in my life I spent Mother's Day without my mom. Sure, I had been away from her on a couple of those Mother's Days, but that Sunday in May of 2008 no plane could have taken me to her, no car or train or boat could bring us together. She passed eleven months earlier.
And because of social media, I can keep in touch with thousands of friends, and millions of strangers expressing the love and appreciation for their mothers, grandmothers, wives and sisters. Personally, I love reading all the posts--even from those I don't know--of regular people telling one of the most important people in their life how much they love them.
Social media allows us to see the good things that happen to people, but we also get to share their pain and heartache. This year, millions will log on and tell a story how this year is different, this Mother's Day has forever changed for them and their family. Because this year, their mother, their matriarch, their rock, is gone, and they face a day full of unknowns. They've never had a Mother's Day where they can't visit, call, or send a card with flowers. They can't sit down and share a meal or remember a childhood memory.
And they never will again.
Saying goodbye at a funeral service is tough, sometimes unbearable. But, the heart heals as the realization of life is accepted. Then, comes the holidays and you get kicked in the gut again. And when the holidays that center around the person--even celebrating the person gone--it's even tougher.
For all of you missing your mom for the first time, to those who can't call or laugh or hug the woman who loved you for a million reasons, or just because you were you, I pray you'll be comforted, I pray for peace. May you remember those beautiful women forever in your hearts. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Hope you had a wonderful day.
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