After her mother died, a woman found a 19-word note on a 3×3 hot pink Post-it note that has helped her get through some of the darkest times of the past 14 years.
Blake Turck shared the touching story of how he discovered his mother’s last message: a simple but profound Post-it note with the timeless motto: “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass… it’s about learning to dance under the rain”.
Turck found his mother’s note while rummaging through her things after her death when Turck was 29 years old.
‘She wrote that message all those years ago, supposedly as a reminder to stay positive and hopeful, and she never intended for anyone to see it. That message became one of the greatest gifts she left me,” Turck said in the Washington Post.
After her mother passed away, a woman found a 19-word note on a 3×3 hot pink Post-It that has helped her get through some of the darkest times of the last fourteen years.
Blake Turck shared the touching story of how he discovered his mother’s last message: a simple but profound Post-it note with the timeless motto: “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass… it’s about learning to dance under the rain”.
‘She wrote that message all those years ago, supposedly as a reminder to stay positive and hopeful, and she never intended for anyone to see it. That message became one of the greatest gifts she left me,” Turck (pictured here with her mother Deborah) told the Washington Post.
“She will be 14 on Mother’s Day, and as the Post-it continues to disappear, my connection to her deepens.”
‘In small moments of anxiety, or when I’m terrified of the future, his presence pushes me to be present and pause for gratitude. I hear her voice utter those simple, still cliché words, telling me everything will be okay. And I believe it.’
Turck’s story began in the emergency room, when she received the distressing call that her mother had fainted.
Upon arrival, she received the devastating news of her mother’s metastatic cancer. Three days later, his mother died, leaving Turck to deal with the aftermath.
Amid the disarray of her mother’s New York apartment, Turck said she found solace in the remains of her life.
She found unexpected comfort in the hidden treasure that was her mother’s possession, but it was a small pink Post-it note, tucked away in her mother’s 2010 planner, that resonated most deeply.
Turck spoke about the depth of her mother’s struggles and triumphs, marked by loss, illness and unwavering positivity.
“My mother was prone to writing long-winded paragraphs that, while motivating, could also be called toxic positivity today,” he wrote.
From childhood to adulthood, his mother’s words of encouragement offered peace in times of darkness (Turck and his mother in Vermont in 1982)
In the years following her mother’s death, Turck (pictured) found herself going through her own struggles. The Post-it served as a ray of hope
“I recognize the irony that the most clichéd phrase of all, one typically relegated to refrigerator magnets, has become the most treasured of all his platitudes. I once took them for granted, but in their absence, I clung to each of them like a lifeline.’
‘I wasn’t one to hang clichés in my house, but the Post-it was different. It was the last of the sayings.
But from childhood to adulthood, her mother’s words of encouragement offered her peace in times of darkness.
‘Over time, its literal location in my life changed. After finding it for the first time, I put it in my own paper planner (like mother, like daughter),’ Turck wrote. ‘I carried his words into each new planner, starting each one by sticking the Post-it on the last page. When I got anxious or sad, I resorted to it.’
Eventually, it moved to the mirror above my bedroom dresser, where it remained. The bright color that once stood out has faded and is now a mottled mix of pale shades. The adhesive backing lost its ability and now a small piece of clear tape holds it to the left corner of my mirror.
As Mother’s Day approaches, Turck reflected on the legacy of her mother’s final message of resilience and hope that even in the darkest of times, light can be found, and in this case, it came in the form of a simple pink message. note
Turck and his mother the night of his graduation party (1998)
In the years following her mother’s death, Turck found herself facing her own struggles.
“Prior to his untimely death, he had never suffered a major tragedy,” Turck wrote. ‘Eight years after I discovered the Post-it, I lost a baby when I was five months pregnant. My grief continued through more losses and failures over the next five years. During infertility, the Post-it was a touchstone for my mother’s strength when she faced her own difficult days.
But the Post-it note became a ray of hope and a tangible connection to her mother’s strength and love.
‘Each time, the 19-word mantra exudes calm optimism. “One that helped me get through some of the darkest times when I needed my mother’s love or support the most,” she wrote.
As Mother’s Day approaches, Turck reflected on the legacy of her mother’s final message of resilience and hope that even in the darkest of times, light can be found, and in this case, it came in the form of a simple pink message. that notes.