Tag Archives: Love

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A message for my moms…

With all the Mother’s Day wishes to and from, heartfelt calls and messages, and family dinner time I missed the time to say a little something about the two moms in my life. 

They are each a beacon of light. The support they provide is all I need to get by. 

Mommy, I thank God everyday that he chose you to be my mommy. He knew you were all I needed for all the right reasons. Whether it was to vent, cry, understand the pain of loss, and that relationships end. You were there for each emotion I experienced and continue to. When my heart felt like I wasn’t meant to be happy or loved, you helped me see the way a bit clearer. That all my unanswered prayers weren’t to hurt me or that I didn’t deserve that love, it was because it wasn’t my time. God had a plan for me and I needed patience (which is always hard for me) because it will all come to light and understanding why my time wasn’t the right time. 

You put up with me when I didn’t understand your love. When I was stubborn and tough. You were there with me for protection and forgiving. I didn’t know how important you truly were and how much I didn’t realize you would end up being my best friend. 

I’m so blessed that as I grew I knew you were mine. My mommy, my bestfriend, my half of strength. You taught me all about love and that if I found that one, love would be unconditional as your love for me has no end. You are my angel on earth and always my guiding light to help me find my way. You are the one that makes things alright with just your hug. Being in your presence gives me the happiness I sometimes miss. 

To my gifted mom Mia, you always hear the horror stories about mother-in-laws from friends and family. As you hear the stories you start to shrink in size. But I wouldn’t ever know how that feels. From day one I knew the person you were. I felt welcomed and loved. Our connection grew strong and I couldn’t believe how we just met. 

I felt like I was a part of you for much longer. You are always there to listen and if I can’t find the words you help them come out. Thank you for gifting me your boy and for always, no matter what, being there to make the important things truly matter. And the not so important things just fade. You pulled me up from under the stress that overwhelms me. You give of yourself so effortlessly. You are love! 

They say you have one mom that is truly yours. One mom that knew you from within. But I am lucky to have two. Maybe you didn’t grow me or hear my heartbeat from inside but you hear it now and always have. Thank you for loving me as your own. 

I am blessed with two strong, beautiful, kind, encouraging, amazing moms and I can’t imagine my life without you there. 

I hope you both know that you are celebrated every day, not just on Mother’s Day. As your lives are our gifts.  

I love you both.

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Every Year, This Day Comes…

It’s always the hardest knowing this day would come again, just as it has every year. There is no escaping it. The weight of it. The ache it brings. The reminder of the loss we endured, both as individuals and as a collective.

So many lives were directly impacted on this day. And even for those who weren’t there, the trauma reached far and wide through television screens, through stories told by others, through the silence that followed, and through the cries that echoed across the world.

For me, this day took someone I grew up with. A sweet friend from elementary school. She was my penpal after my family moved following our sixth-grade graduation. Though distance separated us, our bond remained. Among the small group of us who stayed connected from those early years, her absence will always be deeply felt. That circle of childhood friends still holds a special place in my heart, and some of my strongest friendships remain rooted in those innocent days.

Twenty-four years ago, the world changed. A tragedy unfolded that would shape our collective memory forever. And in those first moments, through the dust, the fear, and the chaos, something else emerged: UNITY and LOVE.

For a moment, the divisions of race, religion, and politics faded into the background. We came together not as strangers, not as separate nations, but as one people. We became love. We held space for one another. We prayed as one. We cried for lives taken far too soon. We grieved the broken families, the empty offices that no longer stand, the missing names never to return home. And we still do. I miss that world. We are all aching for our current beings, here, and now. 

We were all affected. We still are and will continue to be. 

And though time moves on, healing is still a process.

This day will never be forgotten. And neither will the people we lost.

Let us honor them by continuing to love one another, by showing up with empathy, and by remembering that, despite everything, we found light in the darkest of times.

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Neighbors who are family

Traditions bring calm, joy and feel like a big hug of love surrounding you. We were lucky to begin a new tradition once Giovanni and Isannah were well enough and at home to be a part of it. Every Christmas Eve, thanks to our beautiful friends/neighbors/family really, they began coming over to our house with their youngest son to exchange presents for the little ones. We got to share hugs and conversation. It was the best having them in our home which allowed me to begin another tradition of taking pictures with the kids together and with the Falcone’s together. That made me so happy to be able to capture those moments. Each year this happened even when they welcomed their daughter who joined the tradition with us. The tradition continued for all the kids up until their son who started it all with us got older. He was 10 years or so and stopped coming but the tradition continued even through COVID. Although not inside our home or by our Christmas tree we still meet outside. The feeling is still the same because we get to share the joy of giving and the love of friends. 

Now my kids are turning 11 years old, about the age that their son was when he stopped joining. I’m hoping that no matter the age or the years that pass this tradition carries on. Maybe not with exchanging gifts but with the love of friendship that has grown stronger as each year passes. The fondness of friends that are now our family. 

Right now they play outside when it’s warm and even when it’s cold. They laugh, they scream, they get out of control but they still play together and I love hearing and knowing they are there. 

Giovanni and Isannah will start middle school next year but I hope the friendship they each developed through the years will be remembered always no matter the years that pass by. Maybe they won’t be playing on the streets all together like they do now but the respect and love will always be there. 

Until the ages start to show, I will enjoy every moment that we have now.  

My heart is so happy that the friend I met in elementary school is still a constant in my life. She gifted all of this to me and my family and I am forever grateful.