The blogging world is a big one. There are MILLIONS of blogs out there. However, I have been blessed to find “my people” in a select number of blogging groups. I have been following these women for well over a year and consider them my friends. Real friends. Not just virtual connections.
Last week, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of my friend, Melissa Matters. She shared her parenting journey on her beautiful blog: Wading Through Motherhood. Not only was her blog amazing… SHE was amazing. Melissa was supportive and kind… and so much more.
Melissa’s death was a shock to everyone. If you feel so inclined, a family friend has set up a
GoFundMe page to help her husband and 2 young children with expenses.
To honor Melissa, I wanted to share some of my favorite blog posts of hers. It was really hard to narrow them down to just a few! I encourage you to check out her blog, share her posts and help preserve her memory.
Because I’m Not Perfect:
“I may have stumbled a few times throughout the week, but that’s okay because I’ve decided to swim in the pool of grace: unconditional love that keeps on giving and forgiving.
If I think about life this way, in the grand scheme of things, I realize I’m doing better than I thought.
I know this when I hear my children laughing wildly, their eyes lighting up with joy.
I know this when my children run into my arms after I’ve only been gone for an hour. And, I know this when my husband looks at me lovingly, even on my worst days.
When I notice my daughter’s latest drawing of four smiling people is captioned ‘I love my family,’ I know that I’m doing something right”
When Your Emotions Take Over, Just Breathe:
“It’s hard to stay calm and keep breathing when our kids get hurt or when we feel overwhelmed or pushed to our limit.
But breathing is essential for living. Without oxygen, we will soon be lifeless. Additionally, when we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t to take care of our children. I mean, there’s a reason why the flight attendants tell parents to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you try to help your children.
As parents, we need those slow, deep breaths to calm us down, to remind us that this is just one moment in the book of life.”
Through The Eyes of a Child:
“So, the next time you ask me to jump in the puddles with you, I will.
The next time you ask me to read you a story, I’ll do my best to make it come alive.
The next time you ask me to make cookies, I will, even though I just cleaned the kitchen.
Because…these are the memories that will stay with you forever. These are the moments and traditions that you can remember and pass on to your children, if you want.
In your eyes, in your smiles, in your laughter, I can remember what it’s like to be a child.”
Stop and Smell The Roses:
“It’s those small snippets of life, the ones that make our hearts skip a beat, that we need to stop and enjoy. One of my favorite moments is watching my kids playing together in the backyard; I like to watch them invent games, splash in our “pool,” and listen to their effervescent laughter rise upward like bubbles. I wish I could put it in a bottle and save it forever.”
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[‘GoogleAnalyticsObject’]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,’script’,’// www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js’,’ga’);
ga(‘create’, ‘UA-49936077-1’, ‘workingmommagic.com’);
ga(‘send’, ‘pageview’);
I just read some of these passages to my husband and we both teared up. It's so heartbreaking to know those children won't have their mother – such a loving, kind, woman. Thanks for writing this and reminding me of her posts.
I know.. I was crying selecting them… it was really hard to choose.
I barely knew Melissa, in fact I think we had only started following each other about a month or month and a half ago. I wish I would have gotten to know her better, but from what I know of her, she is amazing, and her blog was inspiring.
She was really a kind and awesome lady and mom. I still can't believe it. 🙁
She was an amazing person. I looked forward to her posts every week. It wasn't easy to pick just a few favorites, was it? I kept adding more because I kept finding another one I had to add.
It was very hard.. every post was so good! It is really heartbreaking that she is gone.
I love this! Such wonderful words and perspective. I can't wait to share. A good reminder for me.
yes I have been trying to let the small stuff go, esp this week..
Great post! And the posts you picked from Melissa were wonderful. I love the Through the Eyes of a Child!
I know! I was crying reading through her post since she left such beautiful words for her children..
I didn't know Melissa, but I was so very saddened to hear of her passing. She seemed like such a terrific and loving mother and I am truly heartbroken for her children and husband. These passages are beautiful and shows just how much her family and the small things meant to her. Thank you for honoring such a wonderful person.
Yes, such a sweet legacy to leave behind for her children.
I love this. The "Through the eyes of a child" was one of my absolute favorites. She is missed.
I know.. still so hard to believe.
Thank you for this post. I'm still shocked that Melissa is gone. I'm so proud to be a part of this community that is so caring and dedicated to keep her memory alive.
This is a beautiful tribute. It brought a tear to my eyes. It makes me want to cherish these moments even more and hope that I can leave beautiful words like that to let my children know how much I love them. Thank you for this post
Great tribute! I still can't believe what happened. It seems unreal and heartbreaking for her family. I love the posts you chose to share from Melissa's blog. She had so many wonderful posts- I truly think her kind spirit was very evident in her words.
Thank you for sharing this! You did a great job! I love that we can all share our favorite posts of Melissa's and I love that it's such a testament to how many lives her words have touched!
So sad! Thank you for sharing – what an amazing friend!
A very beautiful post. I love the posts you shared, it is hard to narrow them down… Her memory will live on through her work and we will all continue to share and spread it.
Thank you for this beautiful tribute to my daughter Melissa, May her legacy live on through Wadingthroughmotherhood.com We miss her every day.