Dear Mom,
I miss you. I miss holding your hand, making you laugh and singing hymns to you. I miss your feistiness and humor and determination.

Even though, in your final years, you didn’t know my name or that I was your daughter, you still knew my face made you happy. You knew it brought you peace and joy in that moment.

Alzheimer’s took your mind in bits and pieces. Then the Disease began chipping away at your body. You became frail as a bird, but your heart was as strong as an ox! Alzheimer’s could not conquer your heart! I carry it with me. It is now part of who I am. So it is appropriate to pen this letter in celebration of Valentine’s Day, the day we celebrate hearts.

Please know that you’ve left behind a strong legacy. You showed me it was okay to be a leader, to forge my own path and to be a strong woman. You loved me for who I am and I thrived in that nurturing spirit of yours.

You are gone but you are still here… in my heart, in the way I treat my daughter as well as the way she lives! You taught me how to pray, how to cling to my faith and how to handle life’s challenges. You taught me to laugh out loud and to be a source of joy to others.

I cannot imagine having a different mom. Thank you for giving me life and love and the example of how to become my best self.
In heartfelt memory,
Kellie!