Love You Forever

While visiting my mom in rehab after she broke her back, I noticed her roommate, Miss Judy. She’s a long-term resident, and you can tell immediately that she is deeply loved. Her family filled her space with pieces of home — soft blankets, a little stuffed dog, and even a Christmas tree still standing. The kind of things many people in facilities don’t have. The kind of things that quietly say, you matter… you’re not forgotten.

I’ve seen Miss Judy’s son come in and simply sit beside her — unhurried, fully present. Miss Judy isn’t verbal most of the time, but he stays anyway. Watching him reminded me so much of my own 17-year-old son and the bond we share. I couldn’t help but think: she must have been a really good mama to raise a son like that. The kind of love that doesn’t disappear when words do. The kind that stays.

It reminded me of a book I always read to my children and niece — Love You Forever. I decided to get a copy to leave for him and Miss Judy. I wrote him a handwritten note, telling him what a good mama she must have been and how proud of him she surely is. I told him about my own son and how I hope, one day, my son loves me the way he loves his mama. I also shared the meaning behind the book.

The day I dropped it off, I read the book to Miss Judy. She smiled. It melted my heart, and I knew she understood me. I added that moment to the letter for her son.

The book is about a little boy who is the center of his mommy’s world. She rocks him and sings, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” The boy grows, and in every stage of his life, his mama still rocks him and sings. Until one day she is too old and frail — and he rocks his mommy and sings, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my mommy you’ll be.”

One day, when I wasn’t there, her son came over and spoke to my mom about the note and the book I left. He shared that Miss Judy had been a kindergarten teacher for many years. He told my mom how much he appreciated the note and said that Love You Forever was one of his favorite books — his mom used to read it to him when he was little. He said it was a reminder of that time in his life… of her reading to him, teaching him, and loving him in all the quiet ways that shape who a child becomes.

When my mom told me later, it stopped me in my tracks. Of all the books, the one that reminded me of their love was their book. To me, it felt like God used me as His instrument to send a clear message to that son — that his mother wanted to remind him how deeply she loves him, even in the state she’s in now. It reminded me that love transcends space, time, and all capacities.

A mother.

A teacher.

A son who still shows up.

A book that carries memories when voices can’t.

A reminder that love leaves fingerprints — in people, in stories, and in the way children grow up and sit beside their mothers simply because love knows where it belongs.

Some moments you don’t forget. Not because they’re loud — but because they’re gentle, sacred, and true.

I’ll never forget Miss Judy. And for now, I get to bring my own mother home after a few weeks of rehab. But I know that one day, my mother — like Miss Judy — will be a little closer to passing from this place into the next. Unfortunately, we have to return those we love, even when we aren’t “ready.”

This experience was just as much needed for me as it was for Miss Judy and her son. It reminded me not to take the time I still have for granted, and to make as many memories as possible while I still have that chance with my mom.

If you’re still reading this, I hope you take it as a reminder to hold your mom a little tighter too. And to the mothers reading this — love your children so big while they’re growing that when that time comes, they show up like Miss Judy’s son does. So they might always carry the whisper of your voice saying,

“I’ll love you forever,

I’ll like you for always,

as long as I’m living,

my baby you’ll be.”

#loveyouforever #fyp #storytime

PS> I added the link in the comments ,if you want a copy of this book for yourself, or to give to someone you love. *