Dear Mom,

Tomorrow marks 27 years since I last celebrated Mother’s Day with you. Some days, it feels like a lifetime has passed; other days, it feels like you were just here.

Tonight, I came home from Uncle Dave’s funeral. While talking to Keaton about family, I felt an overwhelming urge to share something about you. I talk about you with him often, I promise. It breaks my heart that he’ll never get to know you—and that you’ll never get to know him. You would’ve loved each other. I looked at him and said, “So much of who I am—and how my heart works—is because of my mom.”

Then I asked, “You know how I leave you little notes?”

He nodded and said, “You do it because your mom did it for you.”

I smiled and replied, “I do it because of how it made me feel when she did it for me.”

In a time when so many are quick to boast about their accomplishments or even their kindness, I’m reminded of how quietly and deeply you loved others—so often in ways no one ever saw. Your humility, and the way you made people feel seen, valued, and important, stays with me every day. It’s not only a guiding light for how I live, but more than that, it shapes how I strive to raise Keaton.

As much as I’ve missed you all these years, the ache is deepest when I think about how much I wish Keaton could have known you. I can only hope he feels your love though the way in which I am a mom to him.

I love you mom and am grateful for the 19 years I had with you

“I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for a while
To know you’re there
A breath away’s not far to where you are

I know you’re there
A breath away’s not far to where you are.”

Love you forever,

Amy