Editor’s Note: This blog post first went up on August 13, 2010 in honor of the five-year anniversary of the passing of my mother, Julia Looper Rex. I am reposting it today since the words ring more clear than ever. Missing you today, and always, Mom!

I’m thinking about my beautiful mother today, exactly five years since her death.

This is a tough time of year for us, with our darling Bo-Bo’s death date on August 10 and Spencer’s mother’s death date yesterday. Interestingly and coincidentally enough, my mother and Spencer’s shared the same birth date. . .February 25. . .then died within a day of each other, although one year apart.

And my parents’ wedding-anniversary date falls next week. They were just short of 60 years of marriage when she died. . .

I have lots of Mom stories in my head that I want to share, and will write more about her as I am able. But today I want to share a life-changing experience I had almost a year to the day after she died.

In my vivid, oh-so-lifelike dream, Mom was propped up in her canopy bed in a pink nightgown looking regal, in just the way she always did.

She raised her hand and waved–queen-like–and I woke up.

I knew it was her way of passing over–or at least my brain’s way of putting me at ease–that she had moved on and was okay.

I have only rarely dreamed about her since. . .strange because the months following her death were especially sad and difficult ones for me to endure. . .and the dreams have been beautiful and most welcome.

Thanks, dearest Mom, for being the inspiration behind Five More Minutes With. We are thinking about and missing you today. . .