On January 6th, 2021, as the country was rocked by the attack on the Capitol, my family was rocked by a far more personal tragedy. My mother was given the news that no more treatment was possible for her cancer. She might have 6 to 18 months. It was just before the COVID vaccine became available and all the things that we normally do to support loved ones in need were complicated by social distancing. Yearning to find a way to show her how much she was loved, my sisters and I organized a card shower for Valentine’s Day.
We texted and called everyone we could think of: Former coworkers, work-out buddies, extended family, college friends, people we had grown up with. The first week in February a few cards started arriving and then it became a flood. The house filled with cards and letters taped to the walls and sitting on every flat surface.
My mother didn’t get 6 months after that day in January, she got only 6 weeks and died 5 days after Valentine’s Day. We were blessed that those last days were filled with messages of love from everyone she knew.
I know Valentine’s Day is typically for celebrating romantic love but this year I will send out bunches of cards to everyone I love. None of us know how long we will get, and we should take every opportunity to tell people we love them.
I’m Melissa Sloatman and that is my perspective.
