Nothing replaces a mother's love — and as anyone who's lost their mom can tell you, saying goodbye to her is unbelievably tough. Years later, you can find yourself grieving hard all over again. You'd give anything just to get one more hug.
Singer Andy Grammer, who lost his mom nine years ago, found himself in that exact situation just last month. But through a strange and touching coincidence, Andy actually got one of those "mom hugs" he so desperately missed.
The "Honey, I'm Good" crooner was grabbing breakfast in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, on June 20 when he spotted a table full of five "SUPER CUTE elderly ladies," he shared on Facebook.
"I don’t know why, but it made me miss my mom hard, and I felt a strong urge to pick up their check," Andy explained.
He was planning on paying the ladies' bill and leaving it at that, but after doing so, he felt a random urge to go over and talk to them. What happened next can only be chalked up to fate.
Andy wound up sitting down and chatting with the five women, he revealed.
"I walked over and said 'You are five of the sweetest ladies I've ever seen; I lost my mom awhile back and something about seeing you made me miss her this morning, so I'm getting your check,'" he wrote on Facebook.
Andy continued: "The lady on the end popped up with arms wide open and said 'COME HERE, I lost my son and really needed this.' And then she gave me a mom hug I needed, and I gave her a son hug she needed."
The emotional moment brought the singer-songwriter to tears.
Andy's Facebook post about the encounter has since gone viral.
And Mary Conant, the woman who hugged Andy, eventually saw it. She penned a thank-you note in the comments section.
(I'm not crying; you're crying!)
After seeing Andy's story covered on the local news, Mary decided to stop by one of his shows.
She wore a pin bearing a photo of her late son to greet Andy.
"I don’t know how the world works," Andy told his Instagram followers in a video taken during his and Mary's second encounter. "I don’t know how the universe works, but I know for some reason I needed a hug from a mom and she needed a hug from a son."
Mary told Seacoastonline.com that she immediately felt a spiritual connection to Andy. She believes that her son and Andy's mom, Kathy, brought the two together.
Andy's Facebook post was met with tens of thousands of reactions (and plenty of tears).
One commenter deemed encounters like his a "shoulder tap": "It's your lost loved one making a connection with you! Your mom reached out and found a way to connect with you, Andy."
Fans who'd also lost parents were especially touched by Andy's story.
It's easy to see why "coincidences" like this are so meaningful.
And fans who lost their sons were equally inspired.
The story seems like proof that, even when our loved ones leave us, they're not gone forever.
Andy and Mary are now Facebook friends, and they plan to stay in touch.
You know what they say: Everything happens for a reason!
