Letters

Tonight my roommate and I were discussing classes and I told her my schedule didn't have quite enough room for me to take all the psych classes I want to; for example, the death, dying and grieving class. She mentioned how she took a class similar to that last semester through nursing to help people cope with they dying progress. She went on to say that a nurse told a story about helping a guy who was dying. He was pretty young and his biggest regret was that he wouldn't get to see his daughter grow up. So this nurse sat with him and wrote out all the special occasions she could think of...graduation, college graduation, wedding day, birth of a first child, etc. She helped him write letters for every occasion so they could be given to his daughter even after he passed. As soon as he finished his last letter and made his peace about it, he passed on.

My roommate and I sat there and thought about how horrible that would be...knowing you were dying and couldn't change it. How do you even know what to say on each occasion? How would you know what to say at all? It must be a gift. Well, then I suddenly remembered I had something similar. 

My mom may not be dying, but she has definitely thought this through and wondered what to say to us about the big issues in life. Christmas before last, she finally finished her project and my sisters and I were more than amazed. 

A whole book filled with letters about life; how to handle finances and friendships, how to handle romantic relationships and family relationships, how to handle life, period. Needless to say, we all cried when getting it, but even sitting at my desk tonight I got all teary flipping through the pages. I realized I had one left chapter I had forgotten to read and it was the chapter on family...the "sisterhood" as we like to put it.

My mom is so amazing. She has such a way with words and they get me every time. I will treasure this book for as long as I live.