Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Half a Decade Later: A Letter to My Mother
Lalita Edwards
To Brie or Not to Brie
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday than by parodying his most famous line.
Well, I can’t say for sure it is Shakespeare’s birthday. That fabled baptismal record could be just that: a fable. But let’s play along and say today is the playwright’s 462nd birth anniversary. And, as the story goes, his 410th death anniversary.
What I can say for sure is that I’m not the first person to parody Shakespeare’s most famous line. Who knows, maybe Shakespeare himself did it after Hamlet premiered in 1600.
Without You: A Letter to My Mother
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.
Continue readingThe Day of Second Chances: A Letter to My Mother
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
So Much to Say: A Letter to My Mother
Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
On the Phone with Mummy
Papa stepped into eternity on this day twelve years ago. Although I still miss him, what I missed most today was being on the phone with Mummy.
Mummy and I would make it a point to call each other every year on December 8. These were the most predictable of our many phone calls. Continue reading
A Eulogy for My Mother
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.
My mother was the epitome of the virtuous woman depicted in Proverbs 31. She was wise, generous, compassionate, hardworking, and faithful. Above all, Continue reading
The Lost Comb
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. Continue reading
Mother’s Day Minus Mummy
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. Continue reading
SHARON ARPANA EDWARDS 