At just eleven, she still loves her mama. Every day, I receive a message on my phone to say how much. It's a little game we play. I respond, and she replies, "I love you more." We go back and forth until she says, "I love you to the end of the universe a million times and until they build a plane and fly it to Pluto."  "You win," I say, and she's happy. 

If I were to die right now, she wouldn't just miss me. She'd be devastated. Her life would be changed, irrevocably. She wouldn't be the only one. I have four other children who are adults. It's quite the oxymoron. Adult children? As long as I'm living they'll be my babies, and I'll be their mama. 

Knowing I have five children who love me lets me know I had some purpose in this life. I've made mistakes for sure, and if I could slip back through the pages of time, I'd love to edit some of  those poorly-written parenting moments. No doubt there's a good reason why we can't time-travel, but I sure wish it was possible.

The day my granddaughter was born, I held her in my arms and gazed into my future. She will miss me too one day. For now, I'm enjoying making the memories she will one day cherish of the time she spent with her grandma, even as I continue to raise my youngest child, just nine years apart in age.

I know other people whose lives I've touched will be there when I depart this earth, and a few of them will be sad for a while. I sure hope so, anyway, or I've probably got a lot to answer for when I stand before my Maker to give an accounting of the souls with whom I lived on this earth. I've always believed we are here to help each other through this journey we call life.

My husband would miss me. He tells me I'm his best friend. I hope he would find someone else who would love and cherish him. He deserves that happiness.

My own mother died seven years ago this November. I miss her as much today writing these words as I did the moment she left us behind. I still love her. I wonder if she knows?

Before I lost her, I used to wonder how people got over losing a loved one. Guess what? You don't get over it. You learn to live with the loss, the pain and the ache in your heart. You keep those memories cradled in your mind, and when you can't bear it, you bring them out and hold them close, letting the tears flow until the pain subsides enough to let go once more. 

We need each other more than ever on this crazy, spinning planet. Love unconditionally and try to make a difference with that love. 

That's how I know I'll be missed and loved, even when I'm gone. At least until they build a plane and fly it to Pluto.