Dear Mom:

Today was our last day together.  By tomorrow, you will be a part of something Other, something Safe and Free, where I don’t know if I can reach you, but I am sure now that you can reach me.  I have been writing this blog, in part, because there are a lot of people who love you and want to be sure to take good care of your memory; the blog has changed my life.

I was imagining the incredible concert you must be enjoying:  Ella, and Peggy, and Duke, and Frank, and Mel, and Billie, and Django and The Man in Black – cutting the rug with your own Man in Black, and Bud, and your Man in the Red Shirt, too.  He loved you.  And those sassy beautiful Sister Girls, and the Mama and Daddy I know you had your own troubles understanding.  It all makes so much more sense to me, now.

I love you mom.  Thanks for Everything.