What a wonderful touching story. It brought tears to my eyes.

My mom is still alive at 87 and not so healthy and my dad is 89 and we are in the process of getting him in a nursing home.

So sad; so you see you touched my heart.

I'm wiping away tears as I write this. What a tribute to your mother's life. (((hugs)))on this sad day. I hope you're able to do something special with your daughter in honor of your mom.

Kay
Kay Stockham
Montana Skies, Harlequin Superromance, Jan '07
His Perfect Woman, Harlequin Superromance, June 2007
Untitled (Jack Brody's Story), Harlequin Superromance, November 2007
Coming 2008 ~ The Tulanes of Tennessee!
Want to win fabulous prizes

I lost my mom 9 years ago, and her birthday is Christmas Eve, so I know what you mean, it's a tender time of year. It does get better as time goes on, you find they never really leave your life, which is the good side, but then you remember all the things you miss, and there's no one who can take care of you like your mother did, even if they did work on our last nerve sometimes. ;)

I hope you have a peaceful day thinking good thoughts,

Sam

Shirley, I did the same thing. After my Dad died in February '06 I wouldn't delete his name and number off my cell phone. I finally did. Your story is very touching and made me cry. I toast your Mother as well and I'm now going to call mine just to tell her I love her.

MelissaK

What a wonderful story. I lost my Mother 15 years ago and I still miss her.

That was very touching and bound to bring tears to everyone's eyes - how can you not think of your own mother whether she's with you or not. I'm lucky to say my mom is doing very well at 85.

It does get easyer as the years go by. I lost my mother when I was 34 that was 18 years ago. My son was born one week after she past so he is my reminder. It always bothered me that my son never new his grandmother, my sister took her place and was always his nanny.

My mother developed an infection in her brain at age 55 which left her unable to move from the neck down and unable to speak. She spent her last two years in a nurseing home, which we tried to visit often.

I still think about my mother from time to time, but life goes on and we do manage without them. I keep thinking when my time comes I will see her again.

Shirley - Thanks for sharing your story. I'm touched.

wanting or needing a mom, that is.

Thank you for sharing, and I hope that you're able to reflect on some cherished memories of your mom while making some new ones with your daughter.

And I'm thankful to still have my mom now, although we did fight like crazy when I was younger and even more foolish ;)

Take care, Shirley!

As sad and touching as it is, it's also a beautiful story of lasting love. I took care of my aunt for two years on a daily basis. She had alzheimers and so it was touch and go each day. Some days were just wonderful and some I just felt abused, if that makes sense. That being said, we grew very close and I learned alot about her and my family from her. When she finally went to the nursing home, they would call me to come care for her still, since she wouldn't cooperate for them. It really was hard to get there everyday and still take care of my family, but I just knew she needed me and couldn't imagine how afraid she was. It broke my heart to explain to her why she was there, only for her to forget and be so mad at me the next day. Many tears were shed, but we did the right thing and had to believe that she would agree, if she could only understand. It got to where she just sat with her head down until she passed and it was one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with. It's been an emotional roller coaster, but I would never take back that time with her and know she is looking down, knowing we did what we could and that we loved her. Let's just celebrate the lives of these wonderful loved ones, so they can see our love goes on and all of the wonderful memories, even though they are not phsyically with us. The impact they've had is what we carry with us and that never leaves. Even in the hard moments, I know blessings are there as well. Big hugs to all!!! Smile today:)

What an inspiring story... I undersatnd completely when you say a mother is a very important person :)

This book must be very special to your heart!

A mother is so impotant... I share everything with mine! I really find it amazing that you still take time to talk to her on her birthday!

I am sure she is watching on all of you and is proud of her daughter ;)

What a wonderful memorial for you mother. Thank you for sharing.
Kit

Shirley, I hope you had a special day. And yes, you made me cry, too! A beautiful and painful experience to share with us all. My parents are both still alive, but we lost my sister's mother-in-law this year and her funeral really drove home to me how not-ready I am for my parents to die. I constantly wrestle with the fact that we humans are mortal beings, and that loving and having families and building connections with each other is fraught with risk and will always eventually bring loss. But, at the end of the day, the risks are worth it, right? Your book sounds wonderful. I'm going to make it my mission to track it down!

I can kind of relate. My mother past away when I was 15, and on November 9th that was 9 years ago. Even after 9 years, there are still times when it's hard to take. Now that I am older I can handle it in better ways, and I can appreciate her more. On the 9th I went to her grave and talked to her. It makes me feel better.
Ashley

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss
I sure its very hard with out your mother around.
Beth

Shirley, thank you so much for sharing this with us; I pray your memories of your mother continue to give you strength and joy. I also have a 13-year old daughter, and I can't imagine what I would do without mom there to give me advice -- both solicited and unsolicited! Your story reminds me to be thankful every day to have her in my life. God bless!

From your post I can see how much you loved your mom and what a nice tribute you wrote. I am lucky to still have my mom to talk to and it has been nice to talk to her but a lot of my relationship with my teenaged daughter is based on what my mother taught me and how she raised me.

What a lovely tribute to someone who must have been a wonderful lady! I lost my grandmother 1 year ago last month. She had been sick and not herself for a few years and in a way it was a relief to not see her suffering anymore. Just yesterday I came across a recipe she sent me with "Try this - let me know if you like it" scrawled at the bottom. She used to send me packages filled with seemingly random newspaper clippings and recipes. I used to wonder why....now, I still wonder why, but wish I'd get another of those packages in the mail. And you know, sometimes I do. She was a packrat and would sometimes start an envelope and put it away somewhere. As Grandpa cleans the house and finds them, he mails them to me! It seems like this is her way of saying hello and reminding me that she is keeping an eye on us! :-)

What a wonderful blog post. Hugs and Love to you.

We lost my mother this past May. I got to see her one last time just 3 days before she died of a massive stroke. We drove 200 miles to see my son graduate from college and spent some time with my mother. Little did I know that just 3 days later she would no longer be with us. I thank God that at least I had that small amount of time with her, before she passed on.

You are so right about so many things that we all take for granted with our mothers. Your mother as well as all of our mothers who have passed on, will always live on through us. Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I appreciate knowing that I am not alone in missing my mother. My wish for you, is that whenever you feel down, that memories of your mother, will always bring your spirits back up.

Mads:)

I am so sorry for your loss. My mom is my best friend and I can't imagine not having here there when I call her at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning to say "The inside of the turkey's still frozen & I can't get the @#! giblets, etc. out of the cavity of the turkey." I'm in my forties and I still have to make that call every Thanksgiving morning. I've got the phone on my shoulder working the package loose and just hearing her voice calms me down and somehow I manage to get it free. Sounds like a weird thing, but it's a special part of Thanksgiving shared by just my mom and me and I don't look forward to the day I won't be able to have that phone conversation with her.

Shirley,

your post brought tears to my eyes. I lost my mother sixteen years ago and I still miss her almost every day. Hugs to you, Karen Kendall

Shirley--Your post really hit home with me. My mother just suffered a minor stroke last month and is now dealing with the aftermath. Although she is supposed to make a full recovery, I cannot believe this happened to my invincible mom. Thank you for the post.

Jeannie
The Horseman's Secret~Harlequin Superromance~Sept 2007
The Brother Returns~Harlequin Superromance~February 2008

Shirley I am so sorry for the loss of your Mom. What a wonderful tribute to her. I'm sure she must be very proud of you. My Mom is fighting both breast and ovarian cancer ~ you're story really touched my heart.

What a beautifully touching story. I miss my mom like crazy and she only moved away. Thinking of what life would be like without her is one of those middle of the night freakout things for me. I hope you had a good chat with your mom, and heard her whispers.

What a touching story. Having almost lost my own mother who is not even 60 years old to a stroke I have learned not to take it for granted that they she will always be there. I have learned to cherish each moment I have with her and appreciate her.

Hi Shirley,
I lost my mother this year and my father three years ago. Like you I did not realize what an effect it would have on me until it happened. On one level I always knew my parents would die, I am a nurse and I have dealt with birth and death all my life. I knew it was just part of the cycle of life, but when it happened I felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my body. Now it is just broken, but I am told it heals. I see my mother everywhere and hear her talking to me when I least expect it,when I am lost I hear her giving me a talking too and telling me what to do. Sometimes I hear myself saying to my daughter the exact words that my mother used or doing something my mother would have done that before her death I would never have thought of doing. Then I remind myself how lucky I was to have her for so long and how blessed I was that she did her best and loved and understood me like no one else ever could. They say mother love is the strongest emotion that we ever experience. I believe it now. I hope you took care of yourself and your daughter on your mother's birthday because I know she would have been looking down at you with love.
Take Care
Sandra