A Letter To Mom

People have asked us to post the letter we wrote to mom that we read during the Eulogy. With my sister's permission, I post:

A Letter To Mom

Dear Mom,
You once told us that you believed that God knew the struggle that you were going to have with illness. So, in order for you to prepare for that path, he sent you two angels to accompany you on your journey. We love you for saying that, but we do believe in another story.
Two young girls became empowered women when they learned through their mother how to value what truly matters in this world. We are so thankful for you always being in our corner, creating opportunities for us when it seemed to others that there were none,
loving us without boundaries, and for making sacrifices for us that we will never fully know.

With that said, please know this from us:
It was an honor to clean you, comfort you, care for you, and hold your hand in times of doubt.
It was an honor to pace hospital floors, searching, praying, and fighting for you in ways you could not.
It was an honor to be at your side and hold your hand when you took your last breath.
It will always be an honor to have known you. To continue to know you as we grow.

You have inspired us to grow from girls to the women we are now. Because of our journey together, we have learned that:
We are not our bodies; they are just instruments for our use.
Many No’s will lead to Yeses.
Humor, A smile, and eternal optimism can melt the iciest of hearts.
Add cream of mushroom soup for a great crawfish etouffee.
That all things in life are transient and life’s true gift is being able to surrender to the moments, Here and Now

So, we hope you can see Mom, how we believe our story to be different.
God sent YOU to US as an angel so that we might be able to live and breathe your story.
That we let it pour into who we are and what we offer the world.
We hope to make you proud because we are so proud of you.
We rejoice that you are liberated from your body.
We know that your spirit is free. Free from confinement. Free from suffering.
Now that you are free, we would like to ask of you…

Please watch over us. Be with us.
Be with us when we take our walks.
Be with us when we have more babies.
Be with us when we love again and when we lose again.
When we face adversity and when we relish in our triumphs.
When we rest and when we are still.
Be with us Always.
And, please make the journey back to this earthly world
To come and get us
When it is Our Time.