It was just supposed to be another day. A day that we live life, run errands, figure out supper and as always—talk to momma. But she was gone…really gone. It couldn’t be true. We knew soon enough the whirlwind would begin, the world would know and we would be swept up in the swirling sea of it all... but for the moment no one knew. Just us. The world stood still. It couldn’t be real. Yes, she was Loretta Lynn, the legend, the star, the record breaker, the pioneer, the voice, but to us she was momma. It was surreal. We called each other, we rushed to her house, but it was true. In the early hours of the morning, just as she wanted it to happen, she had slipped away in her sleep. She looked forward to heaven, and at last it was hers. She was overjoyed, we were broken. She had warned us just days before that the angels were coming, but we dismissed it.
At 90, we knew the moment was inevitable. We had watched her age and her health decline. The stroke, the fall, then the pandemic that isolated everyone had all taken their toll. Yet, in the midst of it all she fought through, overcame odds, kept recording hit albums, wrote books, gave us advice, made us laugh, and kept us together. She took to social media to connect with her fans, kept doing interviews, and got out when she could. We knew by sheer mathematics and what our eyes saw that the time had to be short…but not yet… Soon, but not too soon. We didn’t want it to be so and we couldn’t let ourselves imagine it possible. Yet here we were with our hearts broken and in shock. She was our world in so many ways. She had been the light that shined on us big and bright for as long as we could remember.
It’s been a long, hard year without her. 12 months since we heard her voice, the first birthdays she didn’t sing to us. 52 weeks since we had a conversation, the first decisions without her. 365 days since we saw her sweet smile, our greatest pain felt without our strongest comforter to comfort us.
Over the last year we’ve aimed to heal, to reset, to learn a new life, and create a new normal. We’ve purposed to love our dearest ones all the more, and we have so deeply reflected on all she meant to us. We’ve been carried by the love and prayers of those who loved her. We are so grateful for all who treasured her. It means more to us now than ever before. We have also begun to reflect on her legacy, her contribution, her legendary significance. More than ever we are committed to honoring her life, her songwriting, her music, her message, her authenticity. We are committing ourselves to this task for the rest of our lives.
Today is a tough one but what lucky, lucky people we are to have had her. Thank you for your love and support. We look forward to honoring and celebrating all things Loretta with you in the years to come!
