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MEMORIES
A Sweet Memory of My Mom on Her Birthday
This memory brought tears and a smile at the same time
My mom’s birthday was February 7. She passed away in 2019. She would have been 79 years old.
My parents divorced when my sister and I were very young. My dad moved to Wyoming and then to Utah with his new wife. My mom didn’t want us growing up in Las Vegas, so she sent us to live with our dad instead of keeping us at home with her. Only now do I understand exactly how hard that must have been for her.
We wrote letters and spoke on the phone, but it wasn’t the same. We always looked forward to her visits, and we were ecstatic when she eventually moved to our hometown to be closer to us and to her remaining brothers and sister.
I remember visiting her house one day as a teenager. She was standing behind me, clasping a necklace that she’d given me for my birthday. She brushed my hair back away from the necklace and thanked me for staying in touch with her over the years.
“Families can drift apart. People lose contact or get resentful. You and Jen haven’t done that, and I’m thankful.” I was surprised that she was thanking me. We wanted her in our lives and missed her when she wasn’t there. She was warm and loving, and affectionate. Our mom made…
