Mom left me a Fortune

A Day with Mom. Heart Treasures.

My Mother walked into heaven yesterday. Between the sobs and the choke-hold of grief I felt, I spent time today with the stuff she didn't take with her. Oh, she’s gone. But I still spent the day with her. Someday all of you will get to go through someone’s “stuff they’ve left behind,” be ready for some shockers. In my own process of sorting, I found out that my Mom had left me a fortune. An unfathomable inheritance in Memories: in letters between her and dad; in everything I had ever written to them...since childhood. I found them at the bottom of the blanket chest; in the drawer of her bedside stand. Treasures.

In the Bible the Gospel writer Luke said (2:9) “Mary kept these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Mary remembered and reflected on the unimaginable events of her remarkable son’s life. Those memories became the most complete recording of the events of the young Jesus’ early life; many scholars believe that Mary was Luke's most influential source for the facts and records inspired to become the Gospel of Luke. Like Mary, all Moms are equipped with a special formula of heart glue. Nothing escapes a doting Mom.

But I do think that we are at risk of experiencing the The Last of a Generation of the Treasure Keepers.Treasures like Letters on Paper. No matter how hard we try to warm it up Digital is impersonal.There is no way to recognize someones unique penmanship...I assume that there are thousands of fonts in world...but there’s only one Laura Hurst’s unique handwriting style. I received a wonderful comment thread of comfort on Facebook...something that FB can actually provide of great value...but Mom got get well cards. Her and her sister exchanged weekly cards. I will be doing some major scanning over the next few months because paper will disintegrate over time. Mom left me stacks of love letters that Dad had written to her..and I want them digitized. But those scans will never match the tactile delight of paper. Because Mom saved me my own legacy of love expressions in letters I had written for her and Dad ...I will now get to relive those emotions and thoughts for the rest of my life.

So do yourself a favor. The next time you really want to communicate that you love someone, take some paper out of the printer and put a pen in your hand and write. Create some bury-able treasure.

Thank you for your love mom...filtered through intelligence and wisdom...and the hidden treasures you left us at the bottom of the blanket chest