About Me
My name is Amelia. I am twenty four years old, and on May 28th, 2017, I lost my mother, Claire Marie.
Honoring My Mother
When my mother died, amid all the chaos of funeral planning and under the heavy weight of grief itself, I found myself going through boxes and boxes (and yet more boxes) of photos, letters, and memories. My mother had kept everything from over the years, from elementary school report cards to birthday cards, love letters to legal documents. For the last few months, I’ve been mulling over this surreal question of what it means to inherit all of her physical belongings and mementos, when she herself is no longer physically with me.
How do I honor her and everything she left behind, tangible and intangible?
I’ve decided to honor her memories and keepsakes by posting photos and memories where others who love her can cherish them–where they won’t fade away in time.
Togetherness Through Loss
My mother had a skill and a knack for bringing random people together, usually around her dinner table. One lesson I hope to take with me is the pricelessness of community, of a tribe, of a sense of belonging.
The movie Collateral Beauty centers on a family’s loss of their daughter. A stranger tells the grieving mother to remember to see the “collateral beauty” in the loss. For me, there has been some collateral beauty in the new or renewed closeness with those who are also grieving the loss of my mother. By talking about her and the pain of losing her, there can be a shared sense of community. Hopefully this site can be an avenue for those seeking a continued sense of togetherness through the loss of her.
The Legacy of Claire Marie
What lessons did she leave behind? What about her resonated, and will continue to resonate, within us all for the rest of our lives? How does she carry on and manifest with those who have survived her?
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