Firsts
There is a
First time
For everything
First taste
Of ice cream
First time
You scraped your knee
First kiss
First broken heart
Tomorrow will be
The first Mother’s Day
Since you died
Mom
It’s a bittersweet mix
Of sorrow and tears
Helplessness
Acceptance
Close my eyes
Breathe slowly
Open
See you in them
My darlings
My children
My first Mother’s Day
As a mother
Without you
©2014 Jill Baker
Snapshots 
I went for a walk tonight, such a beautiful spring evening. Sweet smells, warm breezes. My mind wandered here and there, touching lightly on many things. At some point my thoughts drifted to tomorrow, Mother’s Day, and a heaviness hit my heart. I cried as I walked along the wooded path, thankful for the solitude and chance to grieve for my mother in the sunshine. The words came together as I walked and I wrote them down furiously on the backside of one of my son’s school papers once I made it back to the van. To all of you out there who have a Mom to hug tomorrow – make sure to say I love you, too.