New Thing #121--Letter to My Mother

Today is Mother's Day. For me it's been one of the best in recent memory.

All three of the boys were here. Even though the weather was cold and gloomy, they and Tony cooked a BBQ feast, including Omaha Steaks and twice-baked potatoes, grilled squash, corn on the cob, and salad. They bought a chocolate tart from Trader Joe's that was to die for, and a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. When the meal was over I felt like I needed to be rolled away from the table.

After all the celebrations subsided, I took a few minutes to think about my own mom. She died in 1985, which seems like a lifetime ago. We had a pretty good relationship, but I did normal teenager things that I wish I'd had a chance to apologize for. I've been thinking about this for sometime, but today just seemed like the right time to do it.Today I wrote a letter to my mother to make some amends.

It was actually easier than I thought it would be. Once I sat down with paper and pencil, the words just started to come out. When I was satisfied that I'd cleaned up my side of the street, I signed the letter. Since I couldn't actually give it to her, I re-read it, then tore it into tiny pieces and put it in the compost pile. I know the paper will eventually decompose, and I'll be able to use the compost to enrich the soil in the garden. Somehow that seems appropriate.