To Those With Mothers in Heaven on Mother's Day

What can be said about mothers? They literally gave us life. No words I can create here will mean as much as the gift of life. They're our first soulmates, our first protectors. They put our well being ahead of their own. They cook for us. They bandage our wounds. They order pizza and wings for the whole block. They keep an eye on us out the window as we play outside with our friends. They wash our clothes, sign our permission slips, and teach us right from wrong. And when we get older, they tell us to pursue our dreams...and are sitting right in the front row to cheer us on when we do. But for some of us, the time here on earth with our beloved moms was cut too short. They were taken from us in their primes, long before we were ready to let them go.

For those people, Mother's Day (even more than most others) is bittersweet. Don't get me wrong, every day is hard, but it's those holidays and anniversaries that really remind us that we can't hug our moms and thank them for all they've done. Watching everyone else treat their moms to dinner and post loving dedications on Facebook makes us really miss their daily impact on our lives. We think about the things that they never got to see us do. Like having their mothers in attendance for graduation. Or introducing their moms to very important friends/partners in their lives. Or dancing with their moms at their wedding. Or watching their moms hold their grandchildren for the first time. We know you're proud of us, but we just want to hear you say it once more.

We go to dial your phone number to tell you about an exciting new job we just got, but it just rings. We knock on your door late at night to get advice about a fight we had with our significant other, but you're not home anymore. We come over to invite you out for Mother's Day dinner, but you aren't sitting in your spot. Your spot's just...empty. Today, just like all days, we miss you. We miss the simple way you'd put us on the right track in life. We miss the smell of your cooking. We miss the way you'd host parties, and keep the family together. We miss the way you'd make all our troubles disappear, by singing "You Are My Sunshine" to us. We miss all those little millions of moments where you made us feel special.

But we know you're still with us. It may not be the same, but you're still with us. You're with us when we breathe out after a stressful day. You're with us when your song pops on the radio, or your favorite movie comes on TV. You're with us in a peaceful breeze, or a day at the beach, or a baby's laugh. And you're not just our angel, guarding beside us...you're inside everything that we do. Every bit of wisdom that we have, that came from you. Every time we make a new friend, or show off our sense of humor, that came from you. Every time we cook a meal, or multitask five things at once, that came from you. All the important decisions that we're about to make, that will shape the rest of our lives...that came from you.

So here on Mother's Day, we try to push aside the hurt, and conjure up all the fond memories that we love about you. We keep you close to our hearts, and know that inside every tear is something about you that we cherish. Please, be extra kind to us today, for our souls are in pain, but our hearts are full of love. If you have your mother with you on her special day, I beg you to hold her tightly. Tell her how much you appreciate everything she's done, and know how lucky you are. Mothers in Heaven, we thank you. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for making us who we've become, and who we will be. Thanks for being our moms, and now our angels. Please hold the gates of Heaven wide open for us. We'll leave an empty chair in the front row, because we know you're still sitting there, cheering us on in everything we do...

-Jason Burke