Mum, Happy 80th Birthday: A Love That Knows No Distance

Mum, Happy 80th Birthday:

A Love That Knows No Distance 

Mum, we celebrate you by raising a glass to the incredible little lady

who built this family, by trying to live with the same large heart you did

we love you by telling your stories, saying your name, letting the tears fall 

Happy 80th Birthday My Beautiful Mum

Ma, today is your 80th birthday, the sentence hangs in the air, a fact both monumental and surreal, filled with a weight of what should have been, there should be a grand celebration, just like we did for your 70th, there should be enraptured laughter echoing through the day, and there should be you, at the centre of it all, surrounded by the sprawling, chaotic, loving universe of family you created, and you should be blowing out 80 defiant, glittering candles on a large cake, with a look of mock protest on your face that never quite managed to hide the delight in your jubilant eyes, and your heart should be shining so brightly, we would all feel its zest, as you were always the heartbeat of every celebration

 

Ma, I close my eyes and be back there, in the warm glow of that milestone a decade ago, I can still remember your 70th birthday so vividly, we had all gathered, from different corners of the world, our lives packed into suitcases for a few precious days orbiting you, our sun, I can still recall you were so radiant that day, beaming with happiness and humility, I can still see your eyes, always so lively, so kind, sparkled with a special light, reflecting the faces of everyone you loved most, and I can still feel the pride that shone from your infectious smile when you looked around at your children all together, the joy you so cheerfully spread, the love you so effortlessly nurtured, and the life you so beautifully built

 

Ma, you knew, we began planning for your 80th the moment we completed that celebration 10 years ago, since we had planned that we would do it all again, but bigger, even brighter, we had aspired to have another glorious reunion, when we all manage to bridge continents and time zones, just to celebrate you, another family photo full of laughter, another chance to see you wearing something elegant, glamorous, just as you always did, another chapter of making cherished memories, another perfect day to adore you, a little unique lady with a heart, that could hold the whole universe, we had looked forward to for so many years, our journey tracing lines on a map that all led back to you, our true north    

 

Ma, but a little more than halfway through that ten year countdown, our life changed in the most unimaginable way, when you were stolen from us, so unexpectedly, so suddenly, that map we were all following was torn in two instantaneously, and the destination of your 80th birthday vanished into a place we could not follow, and the plans that once filled us with so much excitement became silent reminders of what will never be, this year, we are gathered across the world once more, just as we were a decade ago, nevertheless, this time, we are not travelling towards a central point of light, but instead, we are each looking up at the sky and feeling the same hollowed out space where you should be today

 

Ma, you departed as you lived, you were a collection of incredible contradictions, you were petite in stature, and often the smallest in any room, but you were a giant in spirit, and you carried a presence far bigger than most, your love was not loud or boastful, but a constant, practical force, and it reached beyond the walls of our home, settled in the hearts of many, your heart was not just huge, but it was expansive with an endless capacity to make others feel seen, heard, and valued, even now, people still speak your name with admiration, you are still so fiercely loved and so profoundly missed by us all, as the world is quieter without you, but my goodness, it is so much richer, because you were in it

 

Ma, there was something magical about you, how your hands, though little, held the power to soothe pain, cook miracles, and plant flowers, how your smile, infectious and irresistible, became your most defining feature, that won so many friends in bygone, happy days, even in the face of adversity, it never faded, reminding us all of your resilience and strength, that comes from a positive outlook, how your ability to transcend language barriers, though you could not speak or understand English, you spoke the universal language of kindness, and love fluently, so on this day, in you honour, we will smile a little brighter, love a little deeper, remembering that it truly is that simple to touch the hearts of others 

 

Ma, today, our pain is profound, we are not gathered in a sunlit room but we are connected by a shared grief and a love so vast, we are not only mourning what is lost, but we are also honouring what remains, we are celebrating you, for the years you lived, the love you gave and the legacy you left behind, so we are keeping the promise of your 80th party just not in the way we planned, there is a cake but no one to blow out the candles, there is a card but no address to send it to, there is a world full of your memory but it is achingly silent without you, still and all, we wish you a very Happy 80th Birthday, my darling Mum, you are missed beyond words, remembered beyond measure, and loved beyond time