Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Hi, Mom,

Happy Mother's Day!


Your Mother's Day balloon floated so high, playing hide-and-seek among the feathered clouds and sending butterfly kisses back to me.

Love you always, Joyce

I was a bit apprehensive about this day, thinking it might be the hardest one to get through, other than your birthday this year. But, you know, it wasn't so bad afterall. You have helped me so much to come to terms with your going Home.

Sure, I miss you, but I feel your presence, I sense your nearness, and, of course, I hear the chimes - always the chimes. So, in many ways, you are still so very much in my world.

When I try to visualize the whole spirituality of all this, I am in awe and extremely limited in true understanding. I can only imagine the freedom you have that you sought for a lifetime. I can only imagine how you must feel being surrounded by God's depth of love and joy and peace. What wholeness, what purity, what expansiveness! I don't even have words to describe what I feel would be the essence of the spiritual realm in which you exist. And yet, I can't even refer to that as existence because as you told me many times, there is no beginning nor ending in God for He has always been and will always be.

It continues to amaze me that you knew from the beginning of your place in that spiritual world with God. He truly was with you always. I am beginning to understand your faith is your legacy to me, to those whose lives you touched. In coming to understand that, even for just a moment, I know in my heart there is no separation, no loss because nothing can break God's connections.

So, see, Mom, Mother's Day wasn't so bad for me afterall.

As always, I love you.

Joyce

9 Months & Mother's Day Tomorrow

Hi, Mam-ma. I hope you enjoy your balloons from Daddy and me. We're sending them from in front of our home in Pearland. Abby was some place else but next time I will make sure she is with us. I love you. Blake

Oh, and FGA Joyce sent you these balloons from Bryan at the same time Daddy and me sent ours. Daddy and FGA Joyce were even talking on the phone so they would release them at the same time. Pretty neat, uh?

Well, Mom, it's been 9 months today since you went Home. I talked with Gordon the other night and he told me about his visit from you. He was so excited and really needed to hear those chimes. Thank you for being there for him, as you always have been.

Anyway, I did a new balloon release "thing" this time. Gordon bought 9 balloons to match the colors of the 9 balloons I bought. At the cemetery, I'm talking on the phone to Gordon, who has Blake with him in front of their house in Pearland. At the same time, we both release our 9 balloons in your memory and honor. Gordon seemed please to be a part of this monthly ritual. Today was special, not only because it was the 9th month of your passing, but also because it was shared at the same time by your great-grandson and grandson in Pearland and me in Bryan. And to think, although Gordon and I could only hear each other on the phone, you could hear us and see all three of us. What a loving experience it was. Thank you for continuing to gently hold our hearts and walk with us through these times.

By the way, Gordon said his balloons rose perfectly higher and higher. And mine, for the first time in all these months, my balloons rose high enough to become entwined in the big oak tree. That's never happened. I kind of thought perhaps you wanted them around for tomorrow, my first Mother's Day without you. So, those balloons will be watching me as I release your Mother's Day balloon. Kind of a nice, circular memory.

I love you, Mom, so much.