My mom once told me…
That people in heaven can’t see us
She said heaven is a happy place, a peaceful place that our loved ones go to when they die
She said earth is a sad place
So people in heaven can’t see us hurting, sick, sad, and depressed
Or they would be sad, too.
My mom once told me…
That a man will never love a woman as much as a woman loves a man
She said men don’t love women with the same fervor
She said women always love men more
She told me not to expect love like that from a man
Because it will never happen
My mom once told me…
That women are weak
She said a woman could never fight in a war
And shouldn’t be on a police force
She said men are much stronger than women
Men handle things better
My mom once told me a lot of things
That she believed were true
That prior generations told their daughters
Wisdom passed down from woman to woman, like a genetic mutation
And then I met my husband; we shared twenty years together
Until he died
And I’m not sure if there’s a heaven at all
And if there is, and he can see me
Here, alone, on earth – the sad place
He sees me hurting, sick, sad, and depressed
But I’d like to believe he’s happy
So I think I’ll trust her on that one
But mom was very wrong about the rest
I knew a man who loved me utterly and completely and proved his love daily
He showered me with kisses and caresses
With words of praise, encouragement, and adoration
He spent all his time by my side
I know that man loved me equally as much as I loved him
And when he died, I proved her wrong about the weak thing, too.