That is so beautiful, @lizelle. Thank you for sharing your story. It made me tear up as well! Goodbyes are so very hard, but at the same time they can be immensely graceful and poignant and a true testament to a life well-lived.

We can all only hope to go the way our mothers did, surrounded by love and family and celebration — whether it is in the form of song, or laughter, or prayer. None of us is getting out of this experience alive, and my belief is that this notion gives us the opportunity to cherish it as life's most important rite of passage.

Hugs to you, my friend. Your momma will always be with you in those sweet memories you carry.