Exceedingly Mundane

Here’s an excerpt from the book I just finished, “Big Stone Gap”. It has a subplot running through it about certain character’s mothers getting sick and passing away. These words really hit home to me. I still struggle a lot with missing my Mom. I asked Tim last night at supper (we were at Cock of the Walk), if he still missed his grandmother a lot. He said he did, but that it gets better with time. He told me he thought I was a lot better, and I told him that I thought I was just a lot better at hiding it from him. 🙂

Anyway, this really got to me. Read on, if you’re interested

From “Big Stone Gap” by Adriana Trigiani

My mama knew I wasn’t ready to let her go, so she stayed until her passing would be a blessing, her suffering over. The terrible things that happen to us in this life never make any sense when we’re in the middle of them, floundering, no end in sight. There is no rope to hang on to, it seems. Mothers can soothe children during those times, through their reassurance. No one worries about you like your mother, and when she is gone, the world seems unsafe, thing that happen unwieldy. You cannot turn to her anymore, and it changes your life forever. There is no one on earth who knew you from the day you were born; who knew why you cried, or when you’d had enough food; who knew exactly what to say when you were hurting; and who encouraged you to grow a good heart. When that layer goes, whatever is left of your childhood goes with her. Memories are very different and cannot soothe you the same way her touch did.