By TEA

It was Saturday morning, May the 19th of 2012. I awoke that early morning feeling well rested. Since the beginning of the new year I had started working Monday thru Thursday, having Fridays off. In the past, when working a full week my Saturdays were spent sleeping in and catching up on the many hours of sleep lost during the week.

The mailman had come early today much to my surprise. The usual delivery time was late in the afternoon. In the mix of bills and junk mail was a pastel colored envelope with the handwriting that I was so familiar with. Mother’s Day was the Sunday past and he had called to give me good wishes and to advise me that a card was coming but would be late.

He always wanted to find the perfect card with the perfect words and he said it took some time to find just the right one. How he warmed my heart! I did not need a card to know how much he loved me. Just hearing his voice, warmed my spirit and I knew that he was my true love.

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That frail, little child who captured my heart the day he arrived on this earth, that special angelic child, who gave his whole heart to all was my heart and soul.  He had just been home two weeks ago to the day, taking the Red Eye flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia, to join in a family wedding celebration. It was good to have our entire family together again which does not happen often.

The card had arrived and I excitedly ripped it from its casing, anticipating what beautiful words it would read. The card summed up perfectly our relationship as mother and son. A message from a loving son who when he was very young made his very own card and the message was, “I love my Mother because she is the only Mother I have.” Here many years later, was his card titled, “For my Mother.”

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“At times you’ve been my coach-someone I could talk to and learn from. At times, you’ve been my teammate- someone I could depend on when times were tough …and, at times you’ve been my opponent – someone who challenged me to try harder, to work harder, and to be the best person I could be…But always, you’ve been my mother- and it’s great to know that no matter what life brings, I have you to cheer me on.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Love you mom.

Jason.

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Tears flowed as usual upon reading his message. I sometimes thought he liked making me cry as all his cards in the past spoke of love, pride and appreciation for what I had done for him as a mother. My tears were always of heart and soul and to know that this young man truly felt and understood the love between a Mother and her child.

This was the last earthly message I received from my son.

(See Part 1 at North Philadelphia mother remembers)

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“It’s great to know that no matter what life brings, I have you to cheer me on.”