The Unspoken Goodbye

My mother never said goodbye. Not because she didn't want to — she couldn't. The cancer had spread to her throat by then.\n\nOn her last day, I sat beside her hospital bed, holding her hand. She couldn't speak, but her eyes were wide open, watching me.\n\nI talked for hours. Told her about my day, about the stupid things, about how much I loved her. I told her it was okay to let go.\n\n"She's gone," the nurse said softly.\n\nBut her hand was still warm in mine. Her eyes were still open.\n\nI closed them gently. "Thank you for everything, Mom. I'll be okay. I promise."\n\nThat was three years ago. I keep her picture on my desk. Sometimes I talk to her still.\n\nGrief doesn't end. You just learn to carry it differently.