Having cancer can be terrifying. Here, a mother shares a letter to her sons giving them advice and confesses her fears of being forgotten. We can all learn from this loving letter and, maybe we too will tell our own moms they were right about a lot of life’s most important meanings.
To my dearest children,
I want you to know that I’ve lived a full and good life so please don’t feel sorrow or grief because of my passing. I have loved and have been loved immensely and unconditionally on so many different levels. My life was full, satisfying, and filled with joy because of it and that is something I will forever be thankful for. What a blessing to know the depths of love I have felt from you both and also from your dad.
You both have been my heart and soul, my daily reason for living and breathing. You have been the bright light in the darkness and when I wanted to give up, you both gave me the will to keep fighting. You have grown into such kind, loving, caring and remarkable men. You are my greatest accomplishment. We may have had rough patches and disagreements but that is part of love. And it never changed the tremendous amount of love I have always had for you. Take care of each other. Love each other. Treat each other with kindness. Embrace the relationship you have been given with each other. And most of all, be there for and support each other. How lucky you are to have one another. You may not have me in your lives anymore, but you have each other. You are both a part of me and always will be. You are the only ones who know my heartbeat from the inside. That is the bond you share, and what a special bond it is; the unconditional love and support of a sibling. My wish is that you hold onto that and grow as close as brothers can. Don’t ever take each other for granted. If you fight, be the first to say you’re sorry and make up. Don’t ever be too proud to take the first step to mend a broken heart or relationship. This holds true for all relationships. My humble life has been spectacular just because you were both in it and how grateful I am that God chose me to be your mother. You are the greatest gifts I have been given in this life and I am eternally grateful for that. My greatest fear is leaving you to go through life without me and that you will learn to live without me. I’m afraid you will forget me. I am afraid your memories will fade and you will struggle to remember the ones we created; who I am, what I meant to you and the moments we shared. I’m afraid I will be replaced. I’m afraid you won’t be able to share memories of me with your children, my grandchildren, and am afraid to miss out on seeing the families you will create and watch our legacy grow. But how blessed I am to have the years with you that I have had; to help shape you and watch you become young men I couldn’t be more proud of. If I did anything right in this world, it is you two. Promise me you will remember how much I have always loved you and always will. Don’t let your memory of me fade. Don’t let my passing be the end of your love for me. Because it will not be the end of my love for you. Remember every chance you get how much you both changed my life and that it was so much better because you were in it. I will miss you more than you could possibly imagine. Leaving you behind is the hardest part of all. But know that despite my physical absence, I am always there with you; watching over you, protecting you, loving, and missing you from above. One day, you will have you own children. When you look at them your heart will melt and then you will truly understand how much I have always loved you. They will be placed in your arms for the first time and you will know true, unconditional love and believe in love at first sight. And I pray you look to Heaven and say to me “you were right, Mom.” And I hope at that moment , you think of me and know that even though I am not there, I am filled with joy and gratitude just knowing you have experienced the ultimate love story; the same love that I felt when I first held you each in my arms. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared of this next step as this was a journey I wasn’t ready to take so early in my short life. I am happy and I owe that to you both and your dad, but some things are out of my control. Please don’t despair over my death. Instead, hold onto the love we had between us and carry that with you. While I might not have been ready to leave, I was glad to have lived. And what a remarkable life it has been. I have been so blessed and am so eternally grateful for you, my beautiful children, for a life worth living. You will forever live on in my heart. Let that be of solace to you. I love you so very much and I will long after my time here with you has passed.
All my love until the end of time, Your loving mom
If you’d like to write your children or mother a letter but need some direction, click on the WORKSHOPS & TUTORIALS tab above to get some guidance.