"She wasn't a good mother, but she really loved you."

Back in May 2025, my first Mother's Day after my mother's death was approaching. I started to write my reactions to this pending holiday, though my words quickly morphed into my own complicated feelings about my mother. I never finished my thoughts, but I poked at this rough draft off and on for a bit before the impetus faded away sometime last summer. The post sat unfinished and unrefined, similar in ways to how my mother's cremated remains resided in a cardboard box located in our living room. This year, I finally resolved to bury my mother's cremains with her own mother. After a lot of back-and-forth via email, I finally reached a point last weekend when I could transfer the ashes to the cemetery, complete all necessary paperwork, and hand over money for the services. The burial is currently scheduled to take place on Friday, July 10. With all of the preparations made, I felt now was the time to revisit my rough draft to see if it could be massaged into something I felt comfortable…