Welcome
Someone once told 17 year old Marissa that one day she’d be able to turn her pain into healing. She could channel grief into meaningful connection and help others who would experience the same loss. There are some losses we never move on from – only forward.
About the writer
A self-proclaimed “bicoastal Midwesterner” who grew up in San Francisco only to end up on the East Coast for college. I’m now a tech marketer residing in Chicago. For those who know me, I love to write almost as much as I love to talk. If I’m not doing either of those things you’ll find me volunteering with shelter animals.
Why I’m here
This blog is not a how to guide or self-help page. I can’t tell you how to cure grief. There are no five stages in my journey. Dear mom is a safe space of honest emotional expression.
I welcome you into this space for however long and whenever you need. What you take away is up to you. Maybe there will be comfort in knowing someone has experienced similar loss. Or you’ll find words that translate your own story into a language you can finally understand.
My hope is that this blog will be shared and reach those who are struggling and feel alone or afraid. Those who don’t know how to support their loved ones and need a way to connect. This blog is as much for me as it is for you.
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Seven Years
Dear Mom, Seven years ago today we shared goodbyes for the very last time. You said that I would learn to live without you. I didn’t believe you. Sometimes I still don’t. Every August 14th…
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Another Mother’s Day
Dear Mom, You had always wanted to be a mother. It took you 10 years, dozens of attempts, treatments, and prayers. I can’t imagine how difficult it must’ve been at times for you and dad,…
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How to Survive a Mother’s Day Without a Mom
For me, Mother’s Day is the time for me to take off my metaphorical Band-Aid and let my wound breathe. I allow my heart to bleed and ache for my mom. The tears that burn…
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To the Mothers in My Life: Thank You from a Motherless Daughter
Out of all of the holidays I find myself missing my mom, Mother’s Day is inherently the worst. The cultural build up of greeting cards, TV commercials, gifts, and holiday promotions only add another stinging…
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Happy 60th Birthday
Dear Mom, Do you remember how you used to write me letters and leave them on my bed? Sometimes you’d hide them under my pillow or tape them to the closet mirror. They would show…
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Three Life Lessons I am Thankful for After Losing My Mother
Over the past three years, the holidays have become the hardest part of the year. The heavy weight I felt from my mother’s death the summer before my senior year of high school tainted every…