A Memorable Year

Dear Mom and Dad,

This past year has flown by. I can hardly believe that in a couple of days, we will be ringing in the year 2024. What’s even crazier and still bittersweet is the fact that you’re both gone. I know you are still with me in the sense that you are in Heaven watching over me and my family but it’s just not the same as having you her on earth. So much has changed since we last saw each other, much less this past year.

I’ve experienced some pretty profound healing through relationships I’ve built with people God has put in my path. These relationships are bringing me even closer to God and helping me understand that I was (and still am) not only your daughter, but that I am also God’s daughter. One of the many blessings that has come from losing you is the fact that I met a wonderful woman who has become such an incredibly inspirational part of my life. She helps me be a better mother by encouraging me when I share about my little successes I have with the kids, especially in terms of teaching them about our Catholic faith. She also just so happens to be a very big Disney fan, which is an added bonus. You would both love her. I feel like God sent her to me to be what I like to call one of my “Motherly Mentors.” Maybe I’ll share more about that concept later.

Another source of healing has been continuing to write my letters to you. I haven’t been as diligent about writing to you over the past year or so but I have been sharing about you both in another way. My dear friend, Andrea and I launched a podcast about grief, called The Mourning Glory Podcast. I know you probably have no clue what a podcast is, especially since I don’t even know how long podcasts in general have been around. Either way, it was through losing both of you that I realized how important it is for others to not feel alone in their grief and sorrow. Andrea and I connected over loss and the rest has been driven by the Holy Spirit. It’s taken some time for me to be at the point where I am now where I am comfortable sharing with others, especially in such a public form. I wish I had had something like this when I lost both of you but God’s timing is perfect and He laid the groundwork. I just had to be ready to surrender to Him and allow His will to prevail. I’m sure you both know how difficult that has been for me.

I promise I’ll be more consistent in writing to you, as it helps me on my own personal journey of healing. It helps me feel like you are still here somehow. I’ll write again soon. I love you both and miss you dearly. Until we meet again, God bless.

Love,

Jenni