A friend sent me the letter below. I wish I could give
credit and thanks to the author, but I can’t because I don’t know who wrote it
or where my friend found it.
Laura has been gone almost 17 years, but this message still resonates with me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't say a few words to my girl.
A reminder from your child on Mother’s Day
Dear Mom,
I am still here for you when desperation creeps in between
the spaces of our new realities
I am not gone. Every tear you shed, I collect it. I gather
the rain, and to each drop I give life to the memories you and I have shared. I
step into your dreams when you least expect it, and if you look hard enough you
can find me there.
Say my name. Remember me in the quiet moments. They will
sustain you when the world intrudes and tries to drown out the sound of the conversations
that you still have with me when you think no one else is listening. I am still
here.
Mom, my soul is quiet now. It no longer yearns for the
things my physical body needed to survive this particular battle. It took
everything from me, and I know it took everything from you. You will never
realize what that did to my spirit when I passed from that life into this one.
I know you feel like you are losing your mind some days, but
when you hear a heartbeat where none should exist, know that it is mine,
keeping time with yours.
I am still here. I did exist. I left my mark upon this
world, and I am at peace now.
Love,
your child 💓
On Mother's Day, it's important to acknowledge the pain of a mother who has lost a child while also honoring her role as a mom. Franchesca Cox created Still Standing, an online magazine for grieving parents. She says, “A mother is not defined by the number of children you can see, but by the love she holds in her heart.”
May your heart be overfilled with love.
Happy Mother’s Day.