Lalita Edwards

Without You: A Letter to My Mother

| Sharon Arpana Edwards

My dearest Mummy,

This is now my fifth Mother’s Day without you. I want to tell you how I spent it, but first let me tell you how I spent this year since my last Mother’s Day without you.

You’ll be happy to know it’s been my best year since you left me on May 5, 2021. (I know the correct term is “left us,” but from my perspective, you left me more than you left all of us.)

I’ve spent this year working on the childhood dream you always believed would someday become reality. I wish you were here to see it, but you’re in good company.

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The Day of Second Chances: A Letter to My Mother

| Sharon Arpana Edwards

My dearest Mummy,

When I started writing my letter to you on this day last year, I did not know where to begin. But today I know exactly where to begin. I guess that itself is a sign of progress, and I know you’ll be happy. You’d never want me to stay trapped in my grief. You’d want me to make the most of this life I still have. I can’t say I’ve made the most of every minute of these last two years, but read on. Continue reading →

A Eulogy for My Mother

| Sharon Arpana Edwards

Author’s Note: If you find this post helpful, please consider purchasing a copy of There Once Was a Man Who Suffered, the book I wrote after my mother passed, or any of my other books. Thank you. The rest of this post was published on June 12, 2021.

This is the eulogy I gave at my mother’s memorial service a few hours ago. I have made some minor edits and added links to the Scripture passages quoted and the video commemorating my mother’s life.

On behalf of my family, I want to thank each of you for joining us today. We are grateful for your presence and for the many comforting messages we have received since our beloved mother went home to be with the Lord on May 5. Thank you.

Writing the eulogy for Lalita Edwards is at once easy and difficult. Easy because of her exemplary character and well-lived life, and difficult because she was my mother and this is yet another reminder that I will not see her again this side of eternity. There’s a reason the Bible describes death as the last enemy.

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The Lost Comb

| Sharon Arpana Edwards

One day about twenty years ago, my flight attendant friend in Hong Kong called to say she would be in LA in a few weeks. We usually met when she came to LA on a flight. The airline put her up at the Torrance Marriott, and I lived in nearby Redondo Beach. If her layover fell on a weekend, we would hang out at the Del Amo Mall, shopping until our feet begged for mercy.

My friend always asked if I wanted anything from Hong Kong, but this time she had a request. She had seen a special kind of hair gadget online but it was available for shipping in the US only, so she asked if I could order it for her. It was a BOGO (buy one get one) deal. She would pay for both, and I could have the second piece. I’d have helped my friend even without her generous offer, but then I wouldn’t be telling you the story twenty years later.

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Mother’s Day Minus Mummy

| Sharon Arpana Edwards

Last night, and again this morning, I reached for the phone to call my mother for Mother’s Day, and then it hit me. If someone does pick up the phone, it won’t be Mummy, because Mummy went home to be with the Lord last week.

It happened suddenly. She was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, May 2, and was gone on Wednesday morning. Over those three days I prayed she would live to see another Mother’s Day, and that I would get to see her once more in this life. Instead, she is celebrating Mother’s Day in heaven and I must bide my time.

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