To those who are blessed enough to have their mother this Christmas, please remember to soak every last bit of it in.

Please remember to hug her so tight, that the way she smells is locked into your nose. Listen to all the stories you've heard a million times, like you've never heard a single one. Help her, even if it seems completely silly to you, help her mix that cake. Laugh, oh please laugh. Laugh at all her corky ways, at the way she mispronounces words, tries to be hip and use new-found lingo, or how she cusses when she forgot to get the rolls out of the oven but quickly asks the Lord for forgiveness.

Remember her laugh, etch it into your brain. Make her happy, if she wants to go riding around looking at Christmas lights down the same streets you've gone for years, do it. Don't fuss, take her advice, agree to just disagree on things. It's not worth it. Most importantly, remind her over and over how much you love her.

Because unlike you, I'm not able to see my mom on Christmas. I'm not able to see her on birthdays, Thanksgiving, or any other occasion. My time with her is up.

Death is the most permanent heartbreak.

How I long to hear her voice, her laugh. To feel her tight embrace. Smell — oh God, what I would give to just be able to smell her. I kept her pillow just to have her smell present as long as I could. I would absolutely love to go riding around for hours while she "oohs" and "ahhs" at every single house we pass. If I had the opportunity I'd tell her just how much I love her again, over and over, how I'm so thankful for all the sacrifices she made for me. In fact, I'm not sure I could ever tell her enough.

Some days I wake up and it still doesn't feel real. Others, I panic trying to remember exactly how she sounded. Because I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget a single characteristic about her. Not one.

Take time, not just on holidays, or special occasions to be with your mom. Even if it's just you two piled up watching reruns of her favorite shows, soak it in.

You only get one momma. Nobody could ever take her place.

Thank you for posting, my dear mother died in 1977 at the age of 63.

Damn you... I gotta stop cutting onions...


Lost mine 2 years ago Nov... I wish I'd have taken more time to spend with her those last few years...


But this song by Vince Gill says it all like you posted above:

The last 3 years of my mothers life I spent time with her almost very single day, I regret not one minute of it.

Ma passed on 2008 and I still miss her every day. sure do wish I could buy her a present for Christmas.

Couldn't agree more.
Mine departed 9 yrs ago!
God bless, sorry for your loss!

I know how you feel. I lost my mom December 19,2018.

I just drove 5 hours to see mine who turned 82 two days ago. She is not doing well but thankfully has her faculties. Still have Dad too but both live each day managing pain, taking pills and realizing their ever lessening physical abilities and focused on the nearness of the end. Others might be dealing with multiple siblings, as I do, often arguing over best practice for caring for them while one nearest them does the actual lions share without complaint. I avoid that drama -and the multi page textings - at all cost and am appreciated for that. As much as loving your parents is the importance of getting beyond [bleep] that gets stored up and never let go of in some.

Don't live in the past as the future turns into it too fast. Best to make the present the best and loving-est possible so that your future will have great memories of the past.

Sounds like a hokey Jack Hanby but is true.


Thank you Bootsfihing for this reminder. It extends beyond just mothers. .

Well written. I lost my dad in 06 and my mom in 07.......

Thank you God that there is a promise of eternal life! John 3:16 tells me that, while I miss them, it’s only temporary.

Lost my mom 3+ years ago. Christmas is the hardest time for me.

My mom is almost 92 and lives alone in the boonies in west central Ks. I see her 5-6 times a year, and talk to her weekly on the phone.

Such a nice thread you started . Was sitting last evening thinking about my Mom and how blessed I have been to have her so long . I am 64. She turned 100 last May. Still lives by herself. Quit driving a week before 100. Has a great mind and memory. She cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my sister,my wife and I . Doing the same for Christmas, along with my wife cooking some too.
You mentioned ,when hugging her ,take in her smell. I do that all the time and even mention to her how I love her smell.

She and Dad had a flower shop and greenhouses. She never failed to still put on an awesome supper every evening . She ALWAYS made all the holidays special. To this day when I go on a fishing trip or to our cabin ,she makes me something to take along to eat.

As far as smells go for to mention this . Lost my Dad 9 years ago. Mom gave me some of his clothes. All were washed and put in the closest as he wore them. This fall I put on one of his sweat shirts and I still could smell Dad. Guys we have our own smells too. Brought tears to my eyes.

Well got to stop ,as these onions i am cutting ,like the other guy said ,are getting to me .

Thank you LORD for blessing me with wonderful parents and still being able to spend Christmas with Mom . Lord willing , my wife and I have 9 jigsaw puzzle to do with Mom this winter . Go to Mom's house a couple evenings a week to spend time with her .

So nicely written, and true. Thanks. Lost my mom about three years ago. I can relate to what you're saying.

For about a year after she died, I kept having moments where I thought of something I wanted to talk to her about, and nearly went to the phone to call her before I caught myself. It was a sad time, indeed. It doesn't seem real.

Thanks for posting. I lost my mother to suicide when I was 16. I found her dead on the kitchen floor after coming home from a Boy Scout camp out. That was 44 years ago. She didn't see me graduate high school, junior or senior proms, graduate college, get married or have children of my own. I live with it every day and not a day goes by that I don't miss her terribly.

My mother died in 1981 and my father died in 1965. They were great parents. I still miss them.

L.W.

I lost my Mom December 28, 2016. Cancer had taken a terrible toll on her and she was in a lot of pain. I miss her a lot. Seems I never had much time to make that 5 hour drive each way to see her. I would now gladly drive any amount of hours just to have a few moments with her. She was a wonderful Lady and fantastic Mom. Merry Christmas Mom.

Mine died in the same year, Richard. At age 37.

Each breath is a blessing, even for the little tykes.

I spent several years caring for mother.Had her at home with me until close to the end.I thought I was prepared.Even now I think of things I wish I had done.Wish I had been smarter.Wish I had understood better.If you still have your mom put yourself in her place every day.Do your best.

I'm ridiculously blessed to have both parents and all four grandparents in my life. They're getting up there. I'm at each ones house at least once a week doing odd jobs that need done. My three kids are blessed to have them in their life as well.

Blessed and thankful.

Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain,

-Jake

Mom would have turned 97 this past August. Lost her in 1968 to breast cancer. I have spent my entire life trying to figure out how her early passing (age 46) was supposed to benefit me. On the selfish side of the coin, I have missed her dearly, and lamented the fact that my children never had the opportunity to know her. The only solace I have found, over these many decades, is that for me to have the chance to see her again I must maintain our shared faith in the power of Jesus the Christ, who was raised from the dead by the Father of all creation, and sits at the right hand of God, receiving all of us who drink the Living Water of his Word. Oh to have just one more Christmas to perform all the things the OP mentioned with my mother.

My mother is still alive at 73. I am exactly like her, right down to the completely inappropriate sense of humor. We talk on the phone a lot and she is welcome to move in but for now she lives alone.

I am so sorry for the pain some of you have gone through with parents dying young and in some cases awful parents. I had wonderful parents that I didn't deserve. If anyone deserved bad parents, it's me because I was the worst kid. I made my parents into better Christians, they were praying about me day and night. Wow, was God watching out for me.

My Mom passed less than a year ago and my Dad will be spending his first Christmas without her in over 63 years. I'll never forget what Dad said to me a couple days after she passed: "I lived with my parents for 21.5 years and I lived with your Mom for 62.5 years". Then I realized he'd never lived alone his entire life until now. On a more positive note, he will be making the trip out to spend Christmas with us for the first time. Mom's high school graduation picture:

Surely miss mine.

It’s been 13,years since my mom passed , miss her every day!!

Those of you that still have a Mom or Dad are very lucky. I only saw my real father a couple of times. My mother died 50 years ago this last summer. I was 16 years old.

If you have parents, go see them if possible.

Mine just passed this September at 86. Christmas will never be the same. Enjoy and treasure every moment, because they are not unlimited.

There is nothing harder in life than losing ones mother.

Get Lewis Grizzard's book, "Don't Forget to Call Your Mom, I Wish I Could Call Mine"

Really, get it, you will be fighting tears on every page.

Amen.

I never knew I was a momma’s boy until she was gone.

Not close to my parents.
They dont bother me and i dont bother them.
Theyve always kept busy doing their own thing.
Proly why we arent close.
I dont see it as a plus or minus, just what it is.

My ol ladys parents were dysfunctional and liked drama.

Ive got no time or tolerance for that crap

We all owe our mom.... This says it all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUJy3fHcYM

If your mom is an angel and youre close, good for you.
I wont socialize with anybody thats a jerk, family or other.
Holidays is an excuse for some to get close to do damage.

My ol ladys sister is an absolute piece of chit.

She and the kids will go for the big fam dinner. I go rabbit hunting.

nice

I completely understand this.

Thank you for the poignant reminder, and my condolences on your loss.

You inspired me to visit my parents today. They are both in nursing, my mom has advancing dementia and my dad is not far behind her and has had broken hips, etc.. I usually only see them on the weekend, but your post caught me in a good way. I made a pickled cow's tongue sandwich for my dad (one of his favorites, with everything homemade, including the pickles and sauerkraut) and got my mom some of her favorite candy, and dropped by unannounced this afternoon. I took a few hours off work and it was well worth it.

Thank you again for your post.

"Roses for Mama".

evidently you never met anyone who lost their Rolex or got a scratch on their Ferrari.

jokes aside, the hardest think would be a mother who has to bury her child.

My mother buried my older brother, and died before her mother.

I saw this the other day and passed over it. However started thinking about it as today I was supposed to pick my mother up from the airport in KC to spend the holidays with us. She never made it. Instead she was found after having had a stroke and rushed to Pontiac St. Joseph Hospital.
We'll be heading to Michigan for Christmas to spend some time with her in the hospital.

Here's a pic of the two women in my life, my wife and my mom, from Christmas just a few years ago. We visited her in Michigan and went to Frankenmuth to visit Bronner's and have some chicken at Zehnder's.

I lost my mom, and best friend in Nov 2005. Still miss her !
Dad's in a home (his choice) and had several strokes - now dementia is setting in - but I try to do the "Raton jailbreak" every couple of weeks - get him out, better food, go see the ranch, etc. Mostly, just get him out of "prison"

Last Christmas was my mother's last Christmas....

I didn't get to spend it with her, due to being busy taking care of things here...

She passed on January 5th....

enjoy your time with your mom SKeen.....as posted below, lost mine just after Christmas...

wish she was here this Christmas....

just got back from visiting my stepfather in an Assisted Living Facility down in CA...

he's healthy, but I worry about him checking himself out... he's 88 years old and now ALL Alone...
regardless of all the people around him...

I don't want to hit that age and be in that position...

I got to spend my mothers 90th B-day with her this past summer. Each year the long trip to Arizona becomes more worthwhile, I suspect I'll be going back this winter.

I had to put my mother in a memory care facility last Tuesday. She had deteriorated to a point where we could no longer take care of her at home. If she makes it to this Christmas, it will very likely be her last. She is 93 and until the last couple of months has been getting around pretty well. It is sad to see the recent change.

Been there. Very sad time.

I lost my mom 12-17-12. I was with her everyday for 3 years before. I go to the cemetery every day to say Thank You.

Had to move mom and dad into a senior community last year. Really tuff watching them both fade away, but very thankful for the time I get to spend with them. This is the first time I heard my mom wonder if this will be her last Christmas.

I'm a lucky guy to still have Mom around now that she's 93. Lives in assisted living and I'm over there several times a week. All her kids & grand kids will be there Xmas eve in a reserved party room at the place she lives in. She does well and has her wits about her but I realize that time is getting short for us all, as I'm almost 70 now. All we can do is enjoy the time we have left as life runs its course.

My mom is 91 and just came home after a minor stroke. She’s semi estranged from two of her children, and all but a couple of her grandkids are too self absorbed to pay any attention. Getting to be physically limited to,the point where she’s dependent on help. She’s hurting, physically and emotionally, and is about done keeping on.

Losing her will be far easier than being 6,000 miles away with nothing but a phone connection.

I'm blessed. Mom is 86 and lives just across the street. She's actually preparing Christmas dinner for my family, bro and sis's.

One of the toughest, nastiest dudes I’ve met told me w tears in his eyes. “ you just don’t know what it’s like to spend mother’s day w’out your mom “

Left an impression.

My mother passed at 50. God bless her and she was my Mom but that woman dragged drama around like and anchor from a freighter. She had health issues and used them to get attention among other things. When my Dad had enough and left he left that burden on me. I love her and always will but its a tough love. i had to pay for her funeral and burial cause my siblings wouldn't. She was a hard woman to deal with for sure. I love her though and miss her but i dont miss the emotional stress.

Reading through this makes me tear up. Mine never met my children or their kids!