I recently read a beautifully written book by Mitch Albom called, For One More Day. It tells a story of Chick Benetto recalling a surreal experience he had after attempting to commit suicide. He supposedly saw his deceased mother, spent the day with her and learned more about her; not just as his mother but as Posey. Whether it really happened or not doesn’t matter. It made me feel something-love. This letter is dedicated to Posey and Chick. Thank you.

Posey, you reminded me of my mother. Working from dusk to dawn in a nursing home for close to 10 years while having a second job, I never quite understood how her tiny figure could bear so much? Mortgage payments and muscle aches were more than what she carried. Nonetheless, it was her fighting spirit that prevailed.

She’s the reason I’m here. I may not have liked it when she nagged me to do my chores as a little girl or her absence during school dance recitals. Despite of it all, my thirst to become better each and every day comes from her. Tales of courage and risk told across our dinner table as she reminisced her younger years gave me a glimpse of the woman before she became my mother; the woman that she has been lately missing.

Chick, I would be lying if I said that I was never like you. I was, and I’m still working on it. It’s a process, isn’t it? Perhaps, we’re not alike in the literal sense, but we both have been oblivious to the kind of love that has been repeatedly shown to us. The kind of love that we have taken for granted so easily. Why is that? Why is it so easy to take it for granted? How can we stop?

Reading your story made me see that I don’t want to yearn for one more day. Today is as good as any day to uplift the woman who has held me up for 23 years. It’s my turn, don’t you think?

Thank you, Chick & Posey for letting me feel the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child.

Always,

–K

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers and grandmothers out there! Please know we love you and hope to make you proud 🙂