My Little Darling,
Hi sweetheart. Today is January 19th. My mom’s birthday. Yesterday was the 5th year anniversary of her passing away. And yes, my mom passed away on your mom’s birthday.
Today I’d like to celebrate my mom a little bit by sharing some information about her with you.
My mom was born in 1961 at the same hospital where I was born. Crawford Long in Atlanta, GA and I’m pretty sure her pediatrician was also my pediatrician.
My mom had/has 2 half brothers, Doug and Richard, 2 full brothers, Mike and Greg, and 1 half sister, Suzanne. As of this letter, her brothers Mike and Greg have both passed away.
Her parents were Ben McKinney (PawPaw Ben) and Carolyn McKinney (MawMaw, later Carolyn Polk). PawPaw Ben eventually married Beverly, and MawMaw married Ken Polk (PawPaw, or Pokey) MawMaw passed away in 2004, PawPaw Ben passed away in 2014, and PawPaw passed away in 2019.
I don’t know much about my mom’s childhood, but I know she played rough with her brothers and step siblings. She did tell me stories of some of the crazy stuff they did.
I know my mom starting smoking as an early teenager and she had a hard time in high school. Not her grades. It was just a rough area to go to school.
I was born when my mom was just 20 years old. My biological father was/is a man named Gary Morgan. I do not know him, and I do not know if he is still alive or not. I do know that he was an alcoholic, and that is a large part of why I drink very little.
My mom got married to Gary around the time I was born, not sure if it was before or after, but they were divorced within a few years.
I have a few very, very short memories of being with my biological father from when I was about 2 years old or so, and I remember PopPops coming into the picture around the same time. I believe I was 3 years old with PopPops married my mom and then he adopted me when I was 5 and my named changed from Morgan to Lowery.
My mom was super involved and supportive mother. She always wanted the best for me and I know she struggled and sacrificed to give me and Uncle Jason a good life.
In 2004, my mom’s mom (MawMaw) passed away. I was in college and moved out already, but for the next 10 years, my mom was in a depressive funk.
When you were born, it was a shining little light on my mom’s life. She had recently started working again after not working for a long time. I was so happy to tell her you were coming because she always wanted a little girl to love on.
She was there when you were born and when you stayed in the hospital for a week she came and visited and held you. It was so obvious she loved you like any grandma loves their grandkids.
For a host of reasons I won’t discuss here, your mother and I moved to Houston, Texas to be closer to her family. You flew to Texas about 2 weeks after you were born and I followed a few weeks later.
Sadly, the time my mom spent with you before you left for Houston with your mom was the only time she would spend with you in person.
I kept my mom involved by sending her videos and pictures of you, but she didn’t have Skype or video calling so it was mostly pictures and facebook videos.
My mom and I decided that instead of me flying home for Christmas that year, she and my aunt and maybe my dad would fly to Houston to spend some time with you for your 1st birthday.
Unfortunately, on January 16th 2014, at the age of 52, my mom collapsed from a subarachnoid hemorrhage (ruptured aneurysm in her brain). She was kept on life-support until Saturday, January 18th, until my family elected to end life-support. She officially passed away that afternoon.
My mom loved you so much and it breaks my heart when I think about the relationship you’ll miss with your other grandma. I know you will never have any memories of her and you’ll never feel a sense of loss of your grandma from her passing, but I feel it and that is the hardest part for me about losing my mom. I can handle that she’s gone, but I have a hard time knowing she’ll never get to see her granddaughter grow up into the beautiful woman I know you’re going to be.
So, if you don’t mind, today I just want to say Happy Birthday, Mom. Ellie is the adorably sweet grandbaby you always wanted and I wish you were here to shower her with all the grandma love you always wanted to give her. I’ll giver her all the extra hugs and kisses for you I can.
I love you sweet girl!
Love,
Daddy
P.S. My dear old grandma always used to say the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. That’s why she lost her job as a cardiologist.
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