Mom!
Not long after losing her, I thought I saw her in the Kmart parking lot in Traverse City. I still remember it like it was yesterday, 16 years later. I was crossing the parking lot when - my mother - drove by.
The nerve. I'd been looking for her for months. How dare she stop by Kmart before heading home with the good news that she was alive? But, of course, it wasn't her. It was her hairstyle, though. And there, a dangly, thin, gold watch hanging from her wrist across the steering wheel. And there, short, sitting up tall, trying to see. I saw my mother when she stopped to let me cross.
Mom!
It ricocheted through my chest like a bullet. The woman waited - turning the watch one full pull, drag and drop of the chain - like my mother. She checked her lipstick in the rearview, like my mother. Then, she drove past me with a friendly wave, like my mother. I hadn't moved at all.
Can I admit this? It wasn't such an awful moment.
In fact, I let it ram around inside me, the absolute, bone-deep relief that she was alive. Mom! As she drove away, I stared and stared, not daring to move. Mom! When she hooked a right out of the lot with barely a stop, I laughed. She was in a hurry. Mom!
Then - slam - I was back in the asphalt parking lot. Alone. And my heart broke, for the same reason it did every time: I remembered.
Mom!
❤️
I will truly never forget that day. And now, years later, I look for those hidden moments, those slices of the past, hoping they will arrive. Sweet, bittersweet gifts that keep us connected, her memory close, her laughter, her love.
In fact, I hadn’t thought of her slinky gold chain watches in years, so I pulled one out her old jewelry box and held it in my hand today. I felt sad, but also good.
As I get ready for the walk I have put together in her memory this Sunday, I want to tell you that my mom was such a great mom - caring, funny and kind. I was very lucky. ❤️ And I can't wait to celebrate her and look for little hints of her at the party, the walk, the laughs. I know many of you do the same for your loved ones.
As Mother’s Day approaches, here's wishing you good memories and "dangly gold watches" to remember. ❤️ If you’d like to join us, please do. And be sure to list your loved one’s name for the “Pieces of our Heart List.”
When my mother-in-law passed unexpectedly, the pastor said we would see glimpses of her ... someone that resembled her, similar hairstyle, or mannerisms and he was right. I try not to look at those times with sadness but rather a reminder that she is still there!
Oh Kandace!
I had the same experience. I swear I saw my father sitting in a restaurant. I couldn't help but cry. I could barely stop. I've read we all have doppelgangers, but....what cruel hoax to see our deceased loved one again-then have them disappear. It was heart breaking. My heart goes out to you.