‘I Need to See Her One More Time’: Woman’s Essay Yearns for Lost Mom, Highlights the Work of Literacy Volunteers

by Contributor | September 7, 2010 10:19 pm

“If I could bring my Mom back from Heaven,” Shirley Slate began, reading from her very first essay, a prayer for the return from Heaven for her mother for one more day.

“I just want to hold her one more time,” she said.

Slate is no child mourning a parent who died when she was young. She is 52 years old. She is working towards her GED. Literacy Volunteers of Oswego County helped her learn to read and to write that essay, helped her to gather the courage to read that essay to the members of the Fulton Common Council Tuesday night.

The Council issued a proclamation designating September as Literacy Month in the city. Slate, along with her daughter, Caroline Aguzar and Literacy Volunteers representative Kimberly Steele represented the agency.

Steele called Slate “a remarkable woman”, and said she was the agency’s success story.

Slate’s voice broke as she read her two-minute essay, saying she would spend the one extra day taking her Mom to play bingo and introducing her to her grandchild.

“I need to see her one more time to tell her I love her and I miss her,” Slate read. “It would be a special day for me and her.”

The members of the Council stood to applaud her. “I know your Mom is (proud of you),” said Mayor Ron Woodward.

You can see Shirley Slate read her essay, below.

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Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/i-need-to-see-her-one-more-time-womans-essay-yearns-for-lost-mom-highlights-the-work-of-literacy-volunteers/

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