I cried through this one, Felice. What a beautifully loving, caring, supportive and intuitive person your mom was. Her gift to you! Two things that especially stood out to me were in the April 22, 1991, letter, when your mom suggested you write down your thoughts immediately and “we’ll solve them together.” The other was in her March 8, 1999, letter to you when she referred to you as Piglet and herself Pooh. I adore the playfulness of that.
Your mom‘s letters to you sound so much like my own letters to my daughter and son, some of which are serious and some that are playful and filled with nicknames and private jokes we share. My mom never wrote me a letter, note or gave me a card. It wasn’t her way. She didn’t like sentimentality, and it wasn’t in her nature to ever share her feelings. She never told me or my siblings she loved us. When others gave her a card along with a gift for Mother’s Day or her birthday, which almost always fell on the same day, she wondered out loud why someone would waste their money on cards. When she received flowers, she proclaimed what a waste of money they were because “once you look at them all you do is sit and watch them die.” It’s not my intention to make my mom sound horrible. She called herself practical. I’m not sure that’s the word I would use, but it taught me a valuable lesson and one your mom instinctively and lovingly passed on to you:
It’s important to express to people, especially our children, how much we love them, support them, are always there for them and to let them know motherhood isn’t a part-time gig with an end date. My kids cherish the letters I’ve written to them, not because they say anything profound, but because I’m always reminding them how much I love them and how in tune I am to them no matter what they’re going through. Maybe that’s what is profound as they read them. Most of my letters are for no specific reason or to commemorate any specific event. They’re simply a way for them to always remember they have been my life and my joy.
Your mother’s words instilled in you the importance of writing letters and sharing your heart. Oddly, my mother’s lack of words taught me the same lesson.
Thank you so much for sharing such an intimate part of your life and for encouraging us to write our own letter to our mother or mother figure. Bless you. As always, I’m SO grateful you’re here 💛.
Lisa, your mother sounds practical for sure and so loving in her way. Interesting how both moms, one writing letters and one not writing letters led us to write letters! Thank you for sharing!
What a gift you’ve given us all by sharing your mother’s gift of these beautiful letters. Not all mothers can express their love so well and to be able to convey their hopes and dreams for you.
Yes they do!
I cried through this one, Felice. What a beautifully loving, caring, supportive and intuitive person your mom was. Her gift to you! Two things that especially stood out to me were in the April 22, 1991, letter, when your mom suggested you write down your thoughts immediately and “we’ll solve them together.” The other was in her March 8, 1999, letter to you when she referred to you as Piglet and herself Pooh. I adore the playfulness of that.
Your mom‘s letters to you sound so much like my own letters to my daughter and son, some of which are serious and some that are playful and filled with nicknames and private jokes we share. My mom never wrote me a letter, note or gave me a card. It wasn’t her way. She didn’t like sentimentality, and it wasn’t in her nature to ever share her feelings. She never told me or my siblings she loved us. When others gave her a card along with a gift for Mother’s Day or her birthday, which almost always fell on the same day, she wondered out loud why someone would waste their money on cards. When she received flowers, she proclaimed what a waste of money they were because “once you look at them all you do is sit and watch them die.” It’s not my intention to make my mom sound horrible. She called herself practical. I’m not sure that’s the word I would use, but it taught me a valuable lesson and one your mom instinctively and lovingly passed on to you:
It’s important to express to people, especially our children, how much we love them, support them, are always there for them and to let them know motherhood isn’t a part-time gig with an end date. My kids cherish the letters I’ve written to them, not because they say anything profound, but because I’m always reminding them how much I love them and how in tune I am to them no matter what they’re going through. Maybe that’s what is profound as they read them. Most of my letters are for no specific reason or to commemorate any specific event. They’re simply a way for them to always remember they have been my life and my joy.
Your mother’s words instilled in you the importance of writing letters and sharing your heart. Oddly, my mother’s lack of words taught me the same lesson.
Thank you so much for sharing such an intimate part of your life and for encouraging us to write our own letter to our mother or mother figure. Bless you. As always, I’m SO grateful you’re here 💛.
Lisa, your mother sounds practical for sure and so loving in her way. Interesting how both moms, one writing letters and one not writing letters led us to write letters! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Karen! Happy mother's day to your mother who will no doubt spend it watching sports! Love that.
Thanks, Wendy! She's pretty great.
A mother's love has no limits. Mothers and children grow in wisdom together, despite the stormy days.
What a remarkable mother you have! Thank you for sharing those!
This is a really beautiful post. What a supportive and loving mom. Happy Mother’s Day to her!
What a gift you’ve given us all by sharing your mother’s gift of these beautiful letters. Not all mothers can express their love so well and to be able to convey their hopes and dreams for you.
Thank you, Elizabeth! Letters are an easier way, at least for me, to express my feelings. Learned behavour?
Maybe…I definitely think it gets easier the more I do it.
For sure!
Your mom's letters are a testament to the kind of mother she was and is. What a beautiful gift to still cherish.