When you lose your mother, words fail. Emotions win.
Blanche Canter. February 1923 – December 2013.
Our last words to each other were ‘I love you’.
There are no better words we could have said and no words effective enough to describe the grief.
No words.
**Renee Johnson is the author of Acquisition, and The Haunting of William Gray. She is currently working on a Young Adult novel, while editing a suspense novel which has international flair–an homage to her love of travel and foreign food. She lives on a farm in North Carolina with her husband, Tony Johnson, and one very spoiled German shepherd named Gretel.
Renee Johnson Writes 
I am so sorry, Renee. May you soon think of her with more smiles than tears.
Renee, I am so sorry. No words can take away the pain. What a beautiful photo and memory you have of her. I remember your telling us of this recent celebration. You will be in my thoughts. It’s an amazing thing to keep your parents with you after they leave. For me the emotion came in waves, and then it subsided. It came and went, until I could smile recognizing the things they left behind — a mannerism from another member of the family, a phrase, a tradition, the way they loved and went about their days translated by others. Yes, their spirit is always with us.
Hi Renee,
I feel your pain. My Mother’s has passed away a few days before Christmas. The last thing she responded to after several days of nothing was the tap dancing song from 42nd street. She moved her legs!
hugs to you 🙂
Renee, no words indeed. Not that that stops any of us. But sometimes life, always with at least a toe in our grave, is – almost – too much.
Speechless, and with you,
Ursula
No words.
Just LOVE.
Pure love.
& understanding.
She is beautiful…
now, she’s a beautiful angel.
–sending you warm hugs from Duluth, MN. oooxxx
No words, indeed.
She. Was. Loved.
MJ
This was second Christmas without Mother. On Christmas morning father and I cast three roses on the little wooden bridge into the little stream where we had cast her ashes. I was her home hospice nurse (with professional help) those last five weeks. She was stricken so suddenly. I feel her presence in so many astonishing ways. Half hour after she passed a tear formed and fell from her left eye. Please accept my condolences.
Oh I am so sorry Renee. Sending you love.
I’m so sorry, Renee. I know what your going through and my heart goes out to you at this time. I lost my mother nearly 20 years ago and though time heals the pain of it, I find keeping her memory alive is a great comfort and keeps her close. Hugs to you, my friend.
So sorry for your loss. Nothing in this life is more hurtful then losing a close love one. You are so right…. no words…. hang in there
One day the words will return. In the meantime, hold onto those precious words you exchanged with your mother, let them bury themselves deep in your heart and comfort you. Love to you! xoxoxo
I am so sorry, Renee. Janet is correct. In time the words will return, once you can wrap your heart around the new reality,the memories will become so precious that you will have to write them, and in so doing, you will learn from them all over again. It is an amazing process. Hugs.
No better words, you are right.
HUGS. There’s nothing to make it better. May the new year bring warmth and comfort.
Renee, I am so sorry. I’m sure this is how you will remember your sweet mum, smiling lovingly. You are in my prayers, my friend. Sending you a great big hug across the miles.
I am so sorry to hear this, Renee. I am going to echo what Elyse said, “May you soon think of her with more smiles than tears.”
Take care!!
My deepest condolences and may the Almighty give you courage to bear this tragic loss.
My heart goes out to you and your family. May you continue to feel Gods peace and comfort along with the love of your family and friends.
Renee, I am so sorry for your loss. You could not have picked finer words to share at the end.
Renee, I am so sorry. You could not have chosen a more beautiful photo to share your mother with us. The look on her face radiates, “I love you.” I am so glad those were your last words to each other, and I am certain the thousands of words before that will echo in your heart, always. She seems like a treasured mother and friend, and I wish you peace as you endure this painful time. You have my deepest sympathy.
Thank you Daisy. It has been difficult but knowing it was well with us has been a gift.
So sorry to hear about your loss. Yes, no words indeed to fully describe the grief of losing someone you love. The last words “I love You” of your mom will always be alive in your heart and all those around you. My thoughts and prayers to your mom, to you and your family during this very difficult time.
Thank you so very much.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. You and your family are in my thoughts.
Thank you. It has been difficult.
Renee, I’m late to see this, obviously…stumbled on it reading your post about silence behind writing. I’m so sorry to learn of your mother’s death. I lost my dad six years ago, but my mom is still a daily presence in my life, usually by phone as she is on the other side of the country from me. So I haven’t experienced that loss.
Anyway, I just want to say that I send my sincere and deep sympathy to you. I was surprised after my dad’s death, which we had been bracing for since the recurrence of his cancer two years earlier…it was still jarring, and for a long time afterward, I had times of feeling overwhelmed with sadness. Even though it was a release to see him free from suffering, there was a lot of loss to be endured. Now, the sadness of the loss is mostly gone, and I can reflect on memories or see photos and family videos of him and enjoy the sweetness of the memory. Took a while to get beyond the sorrow. I hope in time you’ll experience the sweetness of the memories without the sadness of the loss, if that makes sense. At least that has been my experience, with the passing of time.
Best thoughts to you and your family! ~ Sheila
Thank you so much. It hasn’t been easy…never will I suppose.