In Memory of my Mom

Debbie Kelley

July 14, 1951 - December 16, 2003

R.I.P.

This Mother's Day, I would like to share some memories of my mom. I miss her terribly every day, feeling like the hole that was created by her death will never be filled. Thankfully, the pain of her loss has lessened over the years, but it is never forgotten. This December will be 9 years and yet some days, it feels like I got the phone call yesterday. So instead of talking about her death, I want to talk about her life.

My mom gave me my love of books. From an early age, I remember watching her read and so I would read. I would read by the light of the shopping center behind our house when I was supposed to be in bed. My mom and I could sit in the living room and enjoy each other's company as we both read. Of course, she was reading Danielle Steel or Nora Roberts and I was reading Nancy Drew. ;-) My mom loved romance novels and I know that's where my love for them came from.

When I got a bit older, around 12 or a teenager, my mom and I would go shopping on some Saturday afternoons. Well, actually we would start about 9 in the morning. I remember going to JCPenney's with her and teasing her about the "suitcase" purses she would want to buy. I remember going fabric shopping with her and picking out the most hideous fabric possible for whatever project she was working on. My mom and I always had a lot of fun. And when it was time for lunch, we always went to Olive Garden. We would order the soup and salad lunch with raspberry lemonade. These shopping trips were our way to connect, to be close, and kept our relationship wonderfully happy.

Christmas was my mom's favorite holiday. She loved opening presents and watching us open ours. She and my dad liked to be pranksters, too, wrapping cans of soda individually, giving a key chain as a hint for the big present (the year I got my first leather jacket, I opened a leather jacket key chain first), or simply wrapping one box inside another inside another. We always laughed and had a good time. And after all the presents were opened, we would have meat pies for breakfast. Curious what those are? Check out my guest post here where I talked about them and gave the recipe. Christmas was always a lot of fun in my house and I cherish all the memories I have.

My mom also loved Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Oh did she love Tigger! She actually had her picture taken with him the last time she and my dad went to Disney World the September before she passed away. Every Christmas and birthday was not complete without at least one Tigger gift. And to this day, I cannot walk passed anything Tigger related without thinking of her.

I love my mom and miss her dearly every day. I wish she was physically here to know my boys. I wish she was here to tell me congratulations on seeing my dreams come true this December when my debut novel will be published with Otherworld Publications. But though she is not physically here, I know she is with me still. I feel her spirit with me even now as I write this, telling me how proud she is of everything I've accomplished. I know she will never truly be gone.

Sorceress Debbie

My mom and her mom