The unsent Mother's Day card

Over Easter on the Outer Banks, I bought a mother's day card. It simply shows a strip of beach sand, the edge of a lacy wave and a star fish. The message is: I love you, Mom.

My mother died almost a month ago, exactly a month before her 98th birthday. So I flew south to the beauty of mountains, lakes and ocean sides seen in the still clarity of autumn light, to give her the best send off I could. I believe she eased the way because we managed to have a fine a family gathering and the great blessing of a Christian Community funeral, one that is directed towards easing the passage of the departing soul from this world to the next.

Leaving her earthly body wasn't an easy process for her and dragged on over some months. She'd seen a woman dressed all in white at the door, she'd had visitations from my departed father, from her own parents too, but then at last she was able to be free. Over the last days she would sometimes call out "Mommy!" and I thought about small children, how their first word is usually 'Mama'. This surely, shows the measure of a mother's importance in our lives. For all who are or were lucky enough to have a mother as wonderful as mine, the words of that unsent card will surely always echo in our hearts.

I love you, Mom.