Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I wanted to pick up the phone this morning, but you wouldn’t have picked up. I wanted to send flowers, but your address now belongs to someone else. What I would give to hear you dismiss the holiday as some Hallmark scam while knowing you still love that I called.

I recently came across a picture of you and me. You looked so young. It’s funny, I never thought of you as young. You were my mother. You were the one who had all the answers, the one who made the rules, the one who knew how to put the Band Aid on just right. The picture made me realize you were just figuring this mothering thing out as you went along like the rest of us parents. I give thanks for all the times you got it so right and completely understand the times you didn’t. It’s hard. 

I know I’m supposed to remember all the big moments, but I always think about the smell of your perfume, the sound of your bracelets, the feel of your hug, and the words you whispered only to me. 

Today, I can only reach inside to find pieces of you. I just hope those who still have their moms will make the most of this day. How I wish I could change places with them.

Say hello to Dad for me. See you one day soon.

Me