A letter to Mum

Life and other stories, 17 Comments
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Years ago, when I was about 8 or 9, I found myself in my mum’s bedroom. I can’t remember now exactly why I was there, but I imagine I was probably trying on her shoes or rummaging through her make up bag. I had a fascination at the time with her peachy pink Cutex lipstick that came in a glamorous gold case.  Purely by chance,  I came across an envelope … inside was a handwritten letter, two or three pages long and a silk handkerchief, slightly browned at the edges. I sat down at the edge of the bed and proceeded to read the letter. It was only after I had read a few lines that I realised it was a letter that my mum had written aged 11 to her mother Elizabeth who had recently died from goitre (an enlarged thyroid) .  In the letter she expressed so beautifully her love for her mum and how much she missed her ‘mammy’. By the end of the letter, as you can imagine, I was in tears and it’s a memory that has never left me.

Reflecting on it now, it must have been so difficult for my mum..to lose her mum at such a tender age, on the brink of adolescence and with no mum to turn to, to help her through those awkward teenage years. Although she had three sisters, two of them were considerably older and I think she must have truly missed that mother/daughter relationship that is so important in a young girl’s life. I suspect it was only later when I came along that I think she was able to re-establish that mother/child bond.  Not being able to have children myself, it is the only mother/daughter relationship that I will experience too and I feel incredibly blessed that we are so very close.

old photograph of me and mum

Me and mum back in the day

Later today, I will be calling up to see mum and I’ll be bringing her some flowers and cake.  No doubt we will have a good old natter over a cup of tea in the kitchen.  My mum is in her 70s now and although she suffers quite badly with arthritis, she is  full of life, with a great sense of humour and is a constant source of inspiration and support to me.

So, to all the mums (past and present), Happy Mothering Sunday. Hope you have a lovely day x

mum and her mum

An old picture of my mum with her mum. That’s my mum on the right.

  8. Really enjoyed reading this… so lovely you have that closeness with your Mum. I’m convinced that relationship makes us a much warmer person. I had that too with my mother, and like you, I don’t have any children, so being close to my Mum was very important.
    It is interesting that some women can be wonderful mothers and have a close bond with their children despite not having that relationship with their own mother. My Mum’s mother was mainly confined to a psychiatric hospital for most of her childhood after a major nervous breakdown. She missed out too on that essential comfort of her mother. It’s amazing that any child can survive that and turn into a well balanced caring parent. I guess it must be down to personality and not experience.
    I miss celebrating mothers day now, but I am all for the celebration of mothers… and fathers day too. It feels much better than Christmas! 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much for your comments. I sometimes wonder if it’s because my mum lost hers that she understood how precious that relationship is all the more. I found this a difficult post to write but I’m so glad I shared it and that it connected with you 😊

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