Hallmark Made Me Realize My Mother Never Left Me

What are you doing for your mother this Mother’s Day? Are you writing her a card? What would it say?

A week ago, Hallmark sent me 10 of their Mother’s Day cards for this year. Out of the 10, they asked me to select four cards that I felt are most relevant to my mother, or other important women in my life.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could do this after losing my mom seven years ago. I see mothers with their kids in the park, at the mall, and interacting with my friends and I think to myself, I kind of remember that, but I also can’t anymore. I remember my mom, and as much as I miss her, enough time has passed for me to genuinely say I can’t imagine having her back. I’ve spent seven of my most critical growing years without her, I’ve fallen in and out of relationships without her, and while it still hurts missing her, I’ve become accustomed to our situation. I just got used to a life without her.

But when the package arrived and I opened the box I saw 10 cards for mothers. Cards that practically had my mother written all over them, and I felt like celebrating Mother’s Day for the first time in years.

That’s why I’m putting my heart to paper for Hallmark this Mother’s Day.

Card #1

The card reads:

Wherever you go,
hope you remember
my heart is right there with you.

Happy Mother’s Day
with lots of love.

This was the first card out of the bunch and I was smiling so hard my face started to hurt. Because this card is my mom. Sometimes when I miss her, I’ll go to a coffee shop by myself and bring the journal where I write letters to my mom. The way I write to her is conversational: I ask her questions and try to write what I think her response would be to my life. I write the way I would talk to her if she were sitting on the other side of the table drinking a latte with me.

After knowing this, you can imagine that seeing this card played what felt like a role reversal for me. This card is for mothers, but Hallmark giving it to me made me feel like it was a card from my mother, not for her. I took it as my mom’s way of saying she really is with me in everything I do.

Card #2

The card reads:

So very loved and admired.
Celebrating you today.
Happy Mother’s Day.

This card was customized by Sarah Jessica Parker, and it’s no surprise as this card screams SJP. I can literally hear SJP saying these words as she types it up on her Mac laptop playing the role of Miss Carrie Bradshaw.

“Sex and the City” was one of my mom’s all-time favorite shows, and I started watching it after she passed away as a way to get to know my mom better. A way to understand her more. Go figure, now I aspire to be a real-life Carrie Bradshaw.

But what I love about this card the most is that beyond the correlation to “Sex and the City,” the context of the card is simple, eloquent, and to the point. Those three things personified my mom, and this card perfectly captures her essence.

Card #3

The card reads:

Thanks for always using your powers for good.
Happy Mother’s Day.

This card displaying a superhero outfit as a means of describing mothers as heroes was too fitting. My mom has always been a free spirit, which is one of the numerous reasons why she’s my hero. Her mentality of do what you want, wear what you want; be whatever you want kept my horizons wide open. I thank her every day for not putting me into a box or conveyor belt of what she thought was best for me. By letting me figure that out myself, she saved me from being a person who is just a part of the mold with everyone else.

Card #4

The card reads:

Tu amor es unico.
Hacer una lista de las cosas
Que has hecho con tu amor
Seria muy dificil.
Asi qui simplemente
Te diré que…

…con tu amor
Has hecho milagros.

Feliz Dia de las Madres Mami.
Quiero mucho.

Translation:
Your love is one of a kind.
To make a list of things you have done with your love
would be too difficult.

So I’ll simply say
that with your love
you have done miracles

Happy Mother’s Day Mami,
I love you so much

I bolded “milagros” because that is my mom’s name. This was the last card out of the bunch and when I saw it was in Spanish, I didn’t think it would mean too much to me as I am not Spanish. However, my mom was trilingual and one of the languages she could speak was Spanish. But still, I opened up the card, and there was her name. Sometimes when I associate things to my mom, I feel like she’s screaming at me telling me she’s right here and that she never left me. Reading this card was one of these moments.

“Milagro” in Spanish means miracle, and having my mom’s name in this card, now that is a miracle; that is my mom.

In a way, I have always put my heart to paper by writing letters to my mom. I started writing to her when I got my first journal at her wake. For the life of me, I cannot remember who gave me the journal, but they told me to write to my mom whenever I needed her, because she’s always listening.

Maybe my mom has been listening all along. And these cards made me feel like I finally got the response from my mom to all my heartfelt letters. Hallmark’s cards were so beautiful because they encompassed why motherhood is worth celebrating. These cards reminded me that just because I lost my mother does not mean I lost the aspect of motherhood. My mother may have died, but she will never be gone from my life.
This Mother’s Day, I finally have realized that my mother has never left me.

Check out PutYourHeartToPaper.com to see how others are putting their hearts on paper this year!