Tomorrow is a new day
We are gifted this one life. We live and experience each moment, every day, and create stories we get to reminisce with friends and family. Feeling nostalgic or laughing or crying or feeling whatever we feel when we tell these stories to old and new friends, future partners, future kids. And we have these stories we can retell even when we lose those loved ones. We get to hold onto these stories so others can catch a glimpse of who that person was and what they meant in your life. We tell these stories so you have a better idea of how we came to be. I want to keep experiencing and soaking up this pretty special human life so I have endless stories.
I can’t believe it’s been 7 years since I gave my mom one last squeeze — telling her that I’ll be okay and that she raised a strong woman and she doesn’t ever have to worry about me. I was thinking about how lucky I am to have 25 years of life with one of the best humans and so many stories to tell, but I wish I had more. I want more stories with her now and with her today and I’m scared the stories I do have will fade away. What stories am I forgetting? What did we talk about every day? And is it okay to forget the details but remember the feelings?
As I was telling a friend about what June 26th means the story that came to mind was when we were at the market one time and rather then walking around this metal bar like everyone else did, my mom grabbed the waist high bar and swung under to enter the store. I remember being younger and obviously embarrassed. She was just having fun! Every year different stories pop into my mind and as I continue to experience life and grow up I trust that new unknown stories will surface — like how she appears in dreams, a special surprise.
My mom would start every phone call with “hi babydoll” and end it with “mama loves”. She would bake us fresh chocolate chip cookies and put it in our homemade lunches. She would pack two suitcase no matter what — one bag full of shoes and the other everything else. We also thought she wanted a tiger tattoo, but she always seemed to deny it. She claimed to not like our pets, but was the first one crying when Olivia our first dog died. I think she was always on the phone with her girlfriends, mom, or sister… sounds pretty similar to how I live my life today. She told us we were beautiful and if we felt like crap she would say. “tomorrow is a new day!”
Mel was just the most fabulous person in every sense of the word. She loved everyone and lifted everyone up. My friends would share everything with her and get love and life advice. She would make you laugh and make you feel so special. She would do anything for you as long as she had a Pepsi in hand with a straw. (she would be devastated if she knew straws were about to be illegal in CA). I tell these stories because I want people to know how lucky I was to have 25 years with Mel as my mom. And yes there were highs and lows and typical mother daughter dynamics, but she made me who I am today.
If you never had the chance to meet her, know that she gave me my zest for life. She built up my self esteem and confidence. If I ever make you laugh it’s because she’s my mom. If I want to have fun that’s 100% her. If I tell you tomorrow is a new day, you’ll know who that quote is from. I feel incredibly grateful that I can continue living her legacy and I hope Mel reminds us all to live life to the fullest and have the most fun ever while doing it. And never forget to eat chocolate cake for breakfast and lobster the rest of the time.
