Call your mom and tell her you love her

The past two days have had news of two shocking losses. If you've got a mom, call her and tell her you love her. If she's nearby, hug her hard.

Very early yesterday morning, I was IMing with a friend. We both had insomnia. "Stress?" I asked her, knowing she and her husband are in the home stretch of a major home remodeling and construction project.

"Yeah, especially since the events of last Friday. I take it you haven't heard?"

My stomach leaped. I immediately feared that her beloved 20-year-old cat had died.

"No...." I typed back.

"My mom passed away."

I stared at the screen and reread the words. Her mom died? Her mom is young, in her early 60s. Sure, she has a host of health issues but nothing that seemed of immediate concern. The construction project was in part to build an apartment attached to their house. Mom was moving in next week.

But in a flash, Mom was gone.

This morning I was in an exercise class. In the middle of it, a young woman behind me got a call on her cell phone. Not uncommon. But minutes later there was a bunch of activity and several women left the room in a hurry. A few minutes later one returned, tear-streaked face full of shock. Turns out there was a car accident at one of the major rural intersections just outside of town. There was one fatality. It was the young woman's mom.

As soon as the class was over, I sat in my car and called my mom at work. She doesn't often get calls from me at work, so there was panic in her voice when she came to the phone.

"Everything's fine, Mom. I just needed to hear your voice and tell you I love you."

If you've got a mom, call her and tell her you love her. If she's nearby, hug her hard. You just never know.