My mother was born 99 years ago today. When she was just nine years old, she lost the mother she adored. After her mother's death, little Alice Jean would sit in front of the house after school and look for her mother's face in the clouds.
My mom, Alice Jean Cotter, died 13 years ago. After all this time, I still find myself reaching to pick up the phone to tell her something or to wish her Happy Mother's Day.
As anyone who's lost a parent knows all too well, the feelings of pain and loss can soften over time, but they never go away completely.
I've never searched the sky to find my mother's face in the clouds the way she once looked for her own mother. But when I stepped out to take a photograph of clouds for this post dedicated to her, I looked up and there she was: leaning back, smiling peacefully, gazing up at the blue sky. Happy birthday, mom.
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