Tomorrow is going to be 7 years since my mom has been gone. Saying that out loud seems so surreal sometimes. How can it be that 7 years can feel like yesterday and forever at the same time? Is this a familiar feeling that you feel as well? How is it that death and losing someone we love can seem so close to our every day lives but also a million miles away at the same time?
A question I’m asked constantly is “when does it get easier?” Honestly, that is one of the most complicated questions of all time.
Some days, it truly does seem like it is getting easier. It feels like the grief has subsided a bit and that I have gotten to a place where I am truly past it. These days are scary because they make me fear that I will forget things about my mom and that she is getting more distant from the forefront of my mind.
But then, other days happen. These days make me feel like my mom died yesterday. These days I am facing my grieve head-on like I am right back in those very dark days right after my mom died.
The days leading up to the anniversary of my mom’s death are definitely some of the worst. It is crazy how easily I forget things that happened yesterday however I can remember so vividly all of the painful details of the last days of my mom’s life, the day she died, and those terrible days to follow.
That being said, no amount of time has made the bad days easier. No amount of time has filled the void that has been left since my mom died. No amount of time has made up for the fact that my mom won’t be at my wedding or will never meet my kids. No amount of time will make the fact that I will always miss my mom ever go away.
And I don’t think I’d want it to. My mom was the most important person in my life. She loved me unconditionally in a way only a mother could. I know I could never forget her. I know that I could never stop missing her. I know that I wouldn’t be the person I am right now, today if it wasn’t for the love shared between my mom and me and the pain caused by having to lose her.
No amount of time will fix the fact that my mom isn’t here.
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Also, here are some great resources for anyone who has lost a mother
https://www.facebook.com/iamamotherlessdaughter/
https://www.facebook.com/Motherless-Daughters-153858391294874/?fref=ts
Lady, it’s like you were reading my thoughts, discerning my deepest feelings.The price we pay, when we love our Moms ,so much !
Hey! Tomorrow will be 17 years since my mom passed away. I’m almost 21. I have some good memories but I remember a lot of the bad. Just like you mentioned you are afraid to forget her. I feel that too, every good day I have. I know she would want me to have the best life possible so I cannot ruin those good days with bad thoughts, even though it’s hard. Thank you for this! I feel every single word you wrote and I feel the same way.
I read this story when you first published it in November. Our moms died on the same day…I thougtht I was in some kind of dream when I read your first line "Tomorrow is going to be 7 years since my mom has been gone." Thank you for your posts/stories/support. Sometimes it feels like we are so alone in this world with so many people around us, but so lonely without our moms. You have a gift that makes others feel your words and helps us heal. Thanks you and happy holidays.