To My Darling Mother,
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since you returned to God. Your transition feels like it happened just a few minutes ago. The pain is still deep, the wound fresh, the scar, un healed. You know, I had bi-lateral knee surgery in June. The physical pain of that experience pales in comparison to not being able to speak with you daily, to hear you laugh, and to drink from your wisdom.
Nothing is the same without you. We, your family, are not the same without you.
I remember reading somewhere (I cannot recall exactly where) that we cannot receive the rewards and Blessings for our belief and faith in God, for all of the good deeds we accumulated, and for the lives in which we made a positive impact, unless we return to God to receive them. So, I guess that my expression of sorrow is somewhat selfish. I should be rejoicing with the knowledge that you are in a far better place than those you left behind.
Where you are there is only joy. No sadness, no suffering, no pain, no anxiety, no conflict, no disappointment. For you are now among The Believers.
My Beloved, I cannot thank God enough for honoring me to be your son. If there’s ANY benefit to your absence it’s that it has drawn me closer to God Almighty.
A closing thought: I think of you and pray for you daily, and EVERY TIME I hear Phoebe Snow sing « Never Letting Go », I think of you.
Never Letting Go…
Ameen,
Yours Always,
Karl