To My Friend On The Loss Of Her Mother

Dearest [name redacted],

My dear friend, I just received your letter with the news of the passing of your mother. You have my deepest sympathies.

As you know, I, too, have been down this road of losing my own mother. I know from my own experience that no words exist to make such a loss easy.

Perhaps, however, I can write a little something to make the pain of the loss less acute....

It has been said that whatever we daughters are, for good or for bad, we owe that to our mothers.

From what I know of your mother and of you, whom I know quite well, your mother was a force for good in your life. She will still be that same good force in your life; I know this because my own mother, gone now for decades, is still a force for good in my life.

What is, at this time, loss on Earth is eternal gain in Heaven.

Love,
[name redacted]

Advanced in years and disabled from a brain hemorrhage of a few years ago, my friend's mother died suddenly, albeit not unexpectedly, on May 5, 2013 — exactly one week before Mother's Day.

On Tuesday, I will be sending the above letter to my dear friend.