Preamble I’m humbled by the response to my previous post about how I continue to live with the tragic loss of my mother, nine years ago. I’ve received numerous messages - empathetic, confessional, supportive - on various platforms and all I can say, with tightness in my throat and chest, is thank you.
Devastatingly beautiful, Lianne! You capture both the essence and the presence of your mother in a way that is both tangible and ethereal. Thanks for making her come to life so vividly, for readers, in your writing and for showing us her haunting and lasting legacy. Clearly, she's still around, albeit in a different guise... She has assumed a ghostly and immortal form in your poetic prose. (Can you tell that I recently reread and taught Dickens's *A Christmas Carol*?😆)
Thanks so much for your wonderful, supportive and mood-lifting comments on my piece! 😘🙏🏻 And I absolutely adore the idea of the ghost of my mother past!! How timely, given the Yuletide season :))
I can't even express how beautiful this is, Lianne. Your poetic, visceral writing is, truly, so moving and affecting. Reading this, I can hear your mom's voice and laugh so clearly in my head—I hope I never forget that sound. For some reason I remember her using the word "devil," like "whatever the devil that thing is" (lol) and there was a sort of wonderful devilishness about your mom that I loved. She was simply smarter and cooler than everyone at PCHS (lol). As emotionally wrenching as it was to talk about your mom in my show, it made me feel "good" (can't think of the right word) to honour her on stage and to share the profound meaning she has in my life and the place in my heart she will always have. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have you and your sister there. Having you in the audience allowed me to be more vulnerable than I've ever allowed myself to be on stage and—this is just occurring to me now—there's a bizarre little parallel to the way your mom allowed me to be vulnerable and let my guard down in her class. I think you were extremely lucky to have "watched her come and go" but so much more than that, I think you were so lucky to love and be loved by such a unique—"not simple"—force of a woman. Thank you for sharing these memories. So much love to you xo
Devil!! Yes, she used to use that all the time!! Ha!!
Tranna, I think your ability to mix vulnerability with crafted, polished writing, to alleviate suffering with humour, and to let yourself take the deep dive with all of us coming along for the ride is so rare, and such a gift. I feel lucky to know you.
And you’re right, I also feel lucky to have loved, and been loved - which I don’t really doubt even when I doubt, if that makes any kind of sense - by an extraordinary woman.
There’s a lot to feel good about. Looking forward to the next time I get to see you own a stage, and with it the entire room and everyone in it! ⭐️ Sending love, and gratitude, your way xx
Devastatingly beautiful, Lianne! You capture both the essence and the presence of your mother in a way that is both tangible and ethereal. Thanks for making her come to life so vividly, for readers, in your writing and for showing us her haunting and lasting legacy. Clearly, she's still around, albeit in a different guise... She has assumed a ghostly and immortal form in your poetic prose. (Can you tell that I recently reread and taught Dickens's *A Christmas Carol*?😆)
Thanks so much for your wonderful, supportive and mood-lifting comments on my piece! 😘🙏🏻 And I absolutely adore the idea of the ghost of my mother past!! How timely, given the Yuletide season :))
This is so beautifully visceral.
Thank you so much. 😌It wasn’t the easiest piece to write, but getting this stuff out is starting to feel good.
I can't even express how beautiful this is, Lianne. Your poetic, visceral writing is, truly, so moving and affecting. Reading this, I can hear your mom's voice and laugh so clearly in my head—I hope I never forget that sound. For some reason I remember her using the word "devil," like "whatever the devil that thing is" (lol) and there was a sort of wonderful devilishness about your mom that I loved. She was simply smarter and cooler than everyone at PCHS (lol). As emotionally wrenching as it was to talk about your mom in my show, it made me feel "good" (can't think of the right word) to honour her on stage and to share the profound meaning she has in my life and the place in my heart she will always have. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have you and your sister there. Having you in the audience allowed me to be more vulnerable than I've ever allowed myself to be on stage and—this is just occurring to me now—there's a bizarre little parallel to the way your mom allowed me to be vulnerable and let my guard down in her class. I think you were extremely lucky to have "watched her come and go" but so much more than that, I think you were so lucky to love and be loved by such a unique—"not simple"—force of a woman. Thank you for sharing these memories. So much love to you xo
Devil!! Yes, she used to use that all the time!! Ha!!
Tranna, I think your ability to mix vulnerability with crafted, polished writing, to alleviate suffering with humour, and to let yourself take the deep dive with all of us coming along for the ride is so rare, and such a gift. I feel lucky to know you.
And you’re right, I also feel lucky to have loved, and been loved - which I don’t really doubt even when I doubt, if that makes any kind of sense - by an extraordinary woman.
There’s a lot to feel good about. Looking forward to the next time I get to see you own a stage, and with it the entire room and everyone in it! ⭐️ Sending love, and gratitude, your way xx