Beautifully written Richie and very heartfelt. It would make a lovely Mother's Day card, you might consider making it and having it ready to send to her next year on Mother's Day. Who knows maybe you won't need to send it bacause the situation and feelings have changed.
One lesson I've learned in my life is as a crappy teenager who gave my parents much grief, it sucked and as a parent who had teenagers (none as bad as I was) who gave me grief, it sucked! But never once did I truly believe my parents didn't love me, if I did I would be dead a long time ago and never once did the thought of not loving my children ever cross my mind, if it did they would have been dead long time ago.
Lesson, we all have needs to feel loved which no one can meet, those needs must be met by ourselves and we really must let others off the hook for not knowing how to love us the way we need to be loved in order to really feel loved. As a parent I know I fail to meet my children's special needs but I tell them every time I speak to them how much I love them at least they hear the words and I also tell my own Mother how much I love her every time I speak to her, best thing is regardless of this crappy religion she is in she tells me she loves me back. I do loving things which I hope shows how I feel toward my family, I walk the walk and talk the talk.
Open the door of love Richie and begin the walk through it. Baby steps.