One year ago today, my mother died peacefully at the age of 93. A few weeks before she passed on, I sent her a letter. Here I share it with you as one example of a legacy letter. I do this in fond remembrance of her.
Dear, Dear Mama,
Many years ago, when I found this card, I thought I’d send it to you with my love letter written inside, in my own handwriting. I saved it for that purpose, and now as I approach that task, I fear my handwriting is virtually illegible, perhaps a side-effect of working on the keyboard for most of my writing. So, here I am, opting for a printed version of my love letter to you, and hope that reading it will be made easier by doing so.
You are my one and only Mama, the person who was first in my life, bonding with me first in your womb and later at your breast and onward, through each stage of childhood. Being Number Three Child, I know this task was not an easy one for you. Raising children never is, is it? Thank you for choosing to be my Mama.
There isn’t a single day of my life that I am not grateful for you. While it’s very true that I’m thankful for your presence, knowing you are there and always will be (this I do believe with my whole heart), I am also thankful for the seeds of life you planted in me. My gratitude is manifested in the way I interact with the world.
As far back as I can remember, you taught me, patiently showing me how to do this and how to do that, so I could eventually find my own way. In so doing, you showed me how to be an effective teacher, modelling desirable behaviour and turning the task over to the pupil. This pattern served me well, both as a teacher working with my students and as a parent with my own children.
You inspired in me a profound love of Nature, and to this day the Great Outdoors is my preferred place of worship. Your sense of humor had no boundaries, and all who know me well will vouch that mine is similarly boundless. Humor makes my world go around. No joke! I can amuse myself endlessly, a great life skill. Silly me!
Thank you for loving me and welcoming my love for you. You have always been my one and only special Mama, and I thank you for being that person, every day of my life. I love you. I miss you when we’re apart. And I’ll always and forever carry you in my heart, just as I do now, every day.
Blessings of Peace and Infinite Love, Julie
Julie Saeger Nierenberg is a freelance writer and editor, lifelong educator and artist, a proud parent and "grand-partner." Julie lives in Canada. Inspired by the experience of her father’s dying and death, Julie published a short memoir about her family’s grief and loss. Daddy, this is it. Being-with My Dying Dad launched a true journey of connection and transformation, as Julie reached out to share it with those who assist the dying and bereaved. Following that memoir's publication, Julie received numerous end-of-life perspectives from others, some of which are available in Journey's End: Death, Dying and the End of Life. Writing and publishing in this heart-led direction, Julie hopes to contribute to a cultural shift in how we prepare and support others in the final chapter of life. Julie also enjoys writing and editing legacy writing, fiction and nonfiction works; she feels privileged to help other writers succeed.