Jon James: I Miss My Mom Every Day, Even More This Time of Year…Consider This

Mom left us in September 2006, just as Michelle started her sophomore year in high school. Oh, how proud she'd be of her granddaughter today as she graduates tomorrow as a registered nurse. She would be there bursting with pride and shedding tears of happiness. I know that, in spirit, she is still here and Michelle, who shared a close bond with her, will have "nana" on her mind as she accepts her degree....

It's a bittersweet weekend for me. I am so proud of my little girl I could shout from the rooftop! When Sunday comes, I will think of mom and how she would be delighting over the previous day's festivities, not even thinking about herself on Mother's Day. That's just how she was.

If your mom is gone, you'll be thinking of her just as I'll be thinking of mine. Now, I'm going to give you something else to think about. Something that may make motherhood, yours or hers, seem a bit more sweet. It might even make you stop and think how much a mother sacrifices for her children.

To me, this is something worth thinking about because, as trite as it seems on the surface, it's the connection that started it all. A connection that gave us all life. We shall always carry evidence of that bond for, even as the connection was broken at birth, it's an eternal link to the one who will forever be the first lady in our lives...our mom.