Mitch Albom is no stranger to writing about death. His bestselling books Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, and For One More Day all deal gently and gracefully with the topic of death. Each of these books had a greatly personal feel. But nothing is quite so personal as writing (or talking) about the death of your parent. In One Last Column for a One-of-a-Kind Mom, Mitch Albom shares his feelings about the loss of his mother and what she meant to him.
She loved to walk while holding her children’s hands, she loved to sing and twirl us around in a dance. She loved to jump into our affairs, no matter how much we might resist, and she once actually said to me, “Mitchie, if you let me, I could straighten out your life.”
Yes. She called me Mitchie. Only a mother can do that, right? It’s funny. Over the last five years, as she slowly slipped away, I lost the sound of her voice. I only saw the suffering body in front of me, the locked arms, the grimaced expression, the 80-pound skeleton wearing an adult diaper.
The horror of that seemed to muzzle my memory. But now that she is gone, her voice is coming back. And so is the reminder of how truly, truly loved I was, and how much I miss it.
Read the full story: One last column for a one-of-a-kind mom
According to a note written by Albom on his website, the book For One More Day was inspired by his mother and his recognition that she was aging.
For One More Day was inspired by my own mother and my own childhood (remember the mummy costume?) The idea came from a sudden wave of sadness I felt when I realized my mother, approaching her 80s, would not be around forever. What would I do when I couldn’t pick up the phone and have the regular conversations, the typical laughs, the gentle scoldings?
B. Franks
I remember Mitch’s tribute to his mother when it was first published. I read it at work (I’m a mechanic), and I sobbed like a little girl. When I explained why, my gruff co-workers nodded thoughtfully and some wiped tears of their own. It was touching, real and never repeated.
A fabulous story of a storied life. Mitch is one with whom I rarely agree, but I hurt with him and for him after reading that tribute.
Mitch’s mom mus have been quite a lady.