Page 156 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
During the week her friends circled around her, notifying Mia’s small circle of friends, taking care of meals, helping her write Mia’s obituary. Sunny set up a memorial page online and helped Arianna post pictures. Alden went with her to the funeral home to pick out a coffin, then, later, to the bank to get Mia’s will out of her safety deposit box.
She’d left the house to Arianna and also made her the beneficiary of a small insurance policy. Thankfully, her mother had no debts to settle, but credit card companies had to be notified and utilities taken out of her name and changed over. Social Security had to be notified. The list of things seemed never-ending.
“This won’t be finished in a week,” Ava warned. “It takes an average of 570 hours to wrap things up.”
Arianna stared at her, horrified.
“Possibly less in your mother’s case. But there are tax forms to fill out and... Hey, it’s okay. We’ll get through this,” she said as Arianna began to hyperventilate. “One step at a time.”
Arianna took a deep breath. “One step at a time.”
“And you’ve got Alden and all of us to help you.”
Yes, she did, thank God. He and Buster moved from his house into hers, and he took some time off work to make sure he was never more than a wish away, holding her at night and letting her cry.
After posting a picture and announcement about Mia’s passing, she let her website lay fallow, letting Sunny take care of responding to the condolences for her. There would be time to jump in and start the New Year later.
February brought a celebration of life, and friends and neighbors gathered in the large meeting room at the Marvin Williams Center, all wearing valentine colors of pink and red. Molly and Sunny and Ava and the girls had made enough frosted heart-shaped cookies to serve a multitude. Alden’s mom and sister had ordered appetizers from Safeway and provided sparkling cider and punch. Donations had been made in Mia’s name to World Vision and the local Goodwill, but Alden and Reggie decided flowers were needed and made sure that several vases of red and white roses sat around the room.
That night, while Alden was at work, she stayed up late and watchedThe Ghost and Mrs. Muirin honor of her mother. Cried so hard she got a headache.
But later, in bed, in the arms of sleep, she dreamed her mother and father were standing by her bed, hand in hand.
“We’re so happy now, darling,” Mia said. “Please be happy for us.”
“I will,” Arianna promised.
That morning she woke up with a shaky sigh and an equally shaky smile, and went to her mother’s bedroom. She hadn’t been in it since she’d picked out the burial clothes for Mia and being there felt strange and wrong.
She forced herself to sit on the bed, looked at the framed picture of Mia, Sophie and herself, caught in a moment of bliss.
We’re so happy now, darling.
She sobbed, picked up the pink envelope and opened it. She wiped away her tears, slipped out the pink stationery and read.
Dear darling daughter,
I’m sorry you had to see me grow weaker this past year, but I’m grateful I’ve been able to see you grow stronger.
Arianna let out a wail. She didn’t feel strong, didn’t even know how she was managing to keep going.
Sophie and Alden, that was how. Her daughter needed her. Her man loved her. To not keep going would be unfair to both of them.
She got her sobbing under control and returned to the letter.
I know you’ll continue to get stronger. Remember, not all endings are happy, but some turn out to be beginnings, and they can lead somewhere good. Live each day as if it were your last, never let anyone steal your joy, thank God for your blessings and continue to celebrate Christmas all year long. Make this New Year a new beginning and be happy. I’ll see you someday in Heaven.
Love, Mother
Mia read the letter again, let the tears flow, and then put the letter back in the envelope and dried her tears and blew her nose. She moved the picture from her mother’s bedside table to hers and tucked the letter in the drawer. She knew she’d read it many more times throughout the year.
On Valentine’s Day Sophie came home from school, full of news of how her day had gone at school. Arianna dutifully looked at every valentine she’d received, then the two of them crafted a valentine card for Alden.
Late that night she was waiting up for him with champagne on ice, Buster keeping her company on the couch.
Make this New Year a new beginning and be happy, her mother had said. She could do that. She would do that. She was smiling when he came in the door. It was something she hadn’t done much of in a while, and it felt good. It made him smile, too, and if Mia happened to be taking a moment to watch from Heaven, Arianna was sure she was smiling as well.
The next morning, with Sophie off to school and Alden still sleeping, she made herself a latte, ordered a fancy planner online and then called Sunny. “So, what are we going to do for Christmas in March?”
