Not only do I appreciate, enjoy, and get inspired by all your comments, so does my mom. Here's something she emailed me the other day:"Hi,
I had a thought yesterday when reading Beth T's response to your "Kindred Spirits...the Journey" post:
"Reading all the sentiments is really making me miss my mom. We lost her six years ago to leukemia. When I see stamps like this, I can't help but think of the cards I would've made for her." ~Beth T
I thought of "Miracle of 34th Street" and all of the letters to Santa put in the mail addressed to the North Pole. I'd like to encourage Beth to go ahead and make the cards she "would've" made!Two ideas for you, for whatever they're worth -
1) For Mother's Day, have those interested make Beth's day by making a second Mother's Day card and sending it to Beth's mother in care of Beth, or
2) Encourage Beth to start making cards for her mother and post one of them on your blog to send it into the universe at her heaven address for her - or of course, Beth could address one and pop it in the mail to:
Mom
Heaven
It would be a happy, healing thing for Beth and I'm sure her mother would be looking down smiling on it all. It makes me want to go make one for my mom and send it to her! The thing is to send that good loving energy on, it will keep the connection alive.
Love,
Mom"
To explain my mother's very special interest in Beth's comment, my mom's mom(my grandmother) Mary died of breast cancer in her 40's. This is the only picture I have of her. I grew up hearing about her kindness and thinking she looked like a movie star.
My mom was just a teenager when she died, so she speaks from the heart on the pain of this kind of loss and all the holidays and "just because" moments that have gone by for her over the years when she would have gotten joy from being able to reach out to/gift her mother. I definitely thought these ideas of hers were worth sharing with all of you, we've all lost someone special. :) HUGS, Beth!!
If I could add my own idea to this, something else you could do with that card or gift for someone who has passed on (or maybe to someone who is just far away) is my son Jonathan's idea! : my mom lives in a different part of the country than we do, but a way my son liked to connect with his grandma (when he was too young to send a letter he wrote himself) was to "send his balloon to St. Louis". He gets one free each time we go to Central Market, and after enjoying it in the store and checking out, we walk to the middle of the parking lot, speak it's desired destination, and let the balloon go, staying there to watch it, a tiny, tiny dot in the sky, til we can see it no more.
So tie a letter or a card (or just make a wish and say a prayer) to your balloon and let it go. Trust it knows the way.
Love & Blessings,
Melanie (and "Mom")
Sneak PEEKS start tomorrow!
PS You KNOW I've got Beth T's address if you want to send her a card!! ;)
(Thanks, Melisa for sending these"balloons" today. It was just what I'd been looking for!) :)
wonderful ideas, all of them :) It's ok that I'm crying now...very touching entry, tfs.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! So moving and what wonderful, thoughtful, insight from you and your Mom! Thanks for sharing, Melanie. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas. I lost my Mom last year and this is the first Mother's Day with out her and I am finding it harder than I thought it would be. And I just might use one of these idea! Jessie
ReplyDeleteI love those ideas, but I have to point out that releasing helium ballons in nature is bad for the environment and some animals eat them and die and they also take a long time to decomposit. My green self had to mention it, sorry! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my 2nd miscarriage, I had a hard time grieving, I wrote a letter to my baby girl and burried it at the bottom of a tree, and said a prayer to "let her go". It helped me, and I agree with your mom that if you feel like writing to someone who isn't there anymore, you should.
I like the bottle in the sea also... :-)
Ohhh........how very sweet and moving!!! Let me say to please cherish any good relationships with moms that any of you have! My parents were/are abusers and I've never known a healthy relationship until my Mother-in-law!!! I treasure her and the grandma she is to all the grandkids too!!! So those of you with loving moms and wonderful childhood memories.......please always remember just how special and wonderful that is!!
ReplyDeleteHere is another idea that my SIL does (her mother passed away a few months after receiving a liver transplant).
ReplyDeleteOn her mom's bd, mother's day and Christmas, she buys her mom a plant/flowers and takes it to the hospital (her mom was a nurse) and asks them to give it to someone in memory of her mother who hasn't rec'd a plant/flower or who doesn't have any family close by, etc.
Melanie, thanks for your beautiful posting and especially for including Mom's photo. She would have been very proud of you, I know I am!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mom
Your post was moving and I am trying to hold back the tears. Thanks for sharing,
ReplyDeleteCharmaine
gees, now I'm going to go cry myself to sleep because I'm so touched after reading this post. Your grandmother is quite beautiful and it's sad you didn't really have much time with her, but her kindness lives on within you and your mom. It's a bit early but happy mother's day to all of your family, to Beth, and to every other mother out there missing a loved one. Hugs to you all :)
ReplyDeleteOh, my! You are so sweet! I feel blessed for the time I did have with my mom. Though I haven't made cards for her since she's been gone, I try to do other things in her memory. On my first Mother's Day without her, I enrolled in the national bone marrow registry. Her brother and one sister matched each other, but none matched her. While on chemotherapy treatments for leukemia, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. We consider her a breast cancer survivor, though we lost her to leukemia. We are getting ready to sign up for our annual Race for the Cure here in St. Louis (Hi, Melanie's mom!) I think Mom would like those "presents". Hugs to all of you! Pass them on to your moms.
ReplyDeletegreat ideas. I am doing the race for a cure this weekend myself. I think each and everyone of us has had our lives touched by someone with breast cancer. Its a shame to say that but true. The more we can promote, educate and raise awareness the sooner we can rid the world of it all together. thanks for sharing your mom's story.
ReplyDeleteI am in tears right now Melanie!! You have such a big heart!! What a fabulous friend you are and what a wonderful ideas you have!!
ReplyDeleteSUCH a sweet and thoughtful post! Wonderful ideas, Mel!
ReplyDeleteI am a New York Times bestselling author working on a new book about mother-daughter relationships and thought you might want to contribute. Please visit my page for details about submitting stories for Mom's Little Angel.
ReplyDeleteGregory E. Lang
Author of “Daddy’s Little Girl,” “Why a Daughter Needs a Dad,” “Why a Daughter Needs a Mom” and more.
Beautiful and touching!!!
ReplyDeleteI lost my mom when I was 13 and I am 35 now, so, has been a lot of years without her, but her memories are in me.
Getting sentimental now.
God bless
Giovana
that was sweet; your grandmother was a beauty just like your mom & you are. Even though I lost my mom almost 12 years ago I'm proud to say her memory lives on in me since I look so much like her. May - June are always hardest for me since Mother's Day, her birthday and then my birthday occur and that's when I miss her most. Since I'm not a mom myself yet I think about how much I miss out on sharing her memory with my children. My DMIL always treats me to a special lunch or dinner on the day my mom died (started the first anniversary of her death) and that means a LOT to me. I look forward to the fact she never forgets.
ReplyDeleteThis post has really touched my heart. My Mom died when I was only 9 years old. She had a stroke at age 36. It happened so suddenly that I didn't get to say good-bye. There are so many things that she missed in my life: my teen years, my prom, my graduations from HS and college, my wedding, the births of my two daughters, and more. I will make a card for her for Mother's Day and post it on my blog because of this post by your Mom. Thanks so much. You have really touched me more than you will ever know.
ReplyDeleteI am so touched by your post, Melanie! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI just read your post today I would like to send her a card... please send me her address. Thanks again Melanie!
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteFor your readers who have lost their moms, I highly recommend reading "Motherless Daughters" by Hope Edelmann. My heart goes out to all of you. There are also Motherless Daughter support groups that have sprung up around the country if anyone wants to hook up with other women who have lost their mothers. You are not alone.
Love,
Mom
I just lost my mom March 16 and my mother-in-law April 14. It is a blessing for their passings both were in bad health, would always be in pain and had no quality of life. Now both are in Heaven celebrating with God. Of course we miss them terribly but know they are in a better place.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this story and yes I would love to have her address to send a card.
God bless you Melanie.
I don't like you at all. I stopped by to see the sneak peek and can't stop crying reading this post. I lost my mother 4 yrs ago and since I have not cried in over a year, I thought I was finally over it. She was my best friend. I love your idea of the letter with balloon. I have to do that, may be it will make me feel better and help my kids connect with their grandma. I was just kidding. I love you. (Still crying, better go take a walk)
ReplyDelete