James Van Der Beekis honoring his mother,Melinda, one year after her death at the age of 70.
TheDawson’s Creekalum, 44, shared aheartfelt tributeto the late matriarch on his Instagram on Wednesday, writing that his five children —Gwendolyn, 3,Emilia, 5,Annabel Leah, 7,Joshua, 9, andOlivia, 10 — “really miss” their grandmother.
“One year ago today you dropped the body that had been causing you so much grief… the body that brought me into this world,” Van Der Beek began in a message to Melinda. “My first reaction was that of relief - as if I’d known you’d had a tough journey ahead and just gotten word that you’d already arrived safely.”
“My kids really miss you,” he continued. “They still talk about it often, and at the most random of moments. And every time, I drop everything I’m doing and sit with them. I think a few of them have caught on and are now using it as a one-way ticket to dedicated attention. Which I know you’d appreciate 😘.”
The actor then reflected on his own grief, writing that things have been “weird” for him since Melinda’s death.
“I thought I had a neat little expectation of what happens when loved ones cross over - how they communicate from the other side. Now I think I know less,” he explained.
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
Van Der Beek went on to reflect on Melinda’s legacy as a professional dancer and gymnastics teacher, noting that he’s gotten to know “amazing stories” about her life.
“I’ve read so many heartfelt letters from your students gushing about the impact that Miss Melinda had on their lives, on their kids lives… It’s made me proud and inspired to hear the depth and scope of your impact when you walked this earth,” he wrote. “But I also feel a version of you out there that’s both young… and ancient. Playful, and powerful. Creative and wise. And I feel like we’re just getting to know each other.”
Adding that grief “continues to surface on layers I didn’t know existed,” theVarsity Bluesstar vowed to “do my best to honor it as it does.”
“But it’s been a wild ride, this last year, Mom,” he shared. “So many surprises, so many expectations defied. And the more I feel I don’t know… the more possibilities I sense beyond the boundaries of logic. A space in which I know you like to play…”
“Mom. I love you,” he added.
Van Der Beek first shared news of his mother’s death last July — just weeks after announcing that he and wife Kimberly hadsuffered their fifth pregnancy lossin nine years.
In October, Van Der Beek listed his mom’s death as one of the “drastic changes” in his life that led him torelocate his family from Los Angeles to Texas.
“In the last ten months, we’ve hadtwo late-term pregnancy losses, each of which put @vanderkimberly in the hospital,” he wrote on his Instagram. “we spent Christmas break thinking she had a tumor (the doctor was wrong, thank god), a business colleague I hired hijacked the project and stabbed me in the back, I was prematurelybooted off a reality dancing showI was favored to win in front of the whole world, and my mom died.”
“And a shut-down,” he continued, referencing theCOVID-19pandemic. “All of that led to some drastic changes in our lives, and dreams, and priorities… and landed us here. Overflowing with profound gratitude today.”
source: people.com
