Julie,
Your story sounds as if I wrote it! I am also a motherless daughter. My mother passed away suddenly almost 5 years ago and my grief absolutely consumed my life. I pretty much lost interest in everything I had ever been passionate about. All of that changed when my daughter was born. She has brought so much joy to my life that I never knew I was capable of experiencing.
I think that the fact that I am a motherless daughter has made me a better mother. I don't take anything for granted. My friends think I'm crazy because at times I think about the fact that someday my daughter will be a motherless daughter and I want her to have as many wonderful memories to embrace as I do of my own mother. Little things like making her stocking for Christmas will hopefully really mean something to her someday. If I had a stocking that my mother made me for my first Christmas, I would probably sleep with it!
I find myself cherishing every little thing I have that is associated with my mother. One of my favorite things is a coffee cup that I found in her house that still has her lipstick on it. I know that it probably sounds crazy, but I will never wash it...EVER!!
So here is my question to all of you motherless daughters: As a parent, do you take into consideration that someday your child will be a motherless child and do anything special? I hope that I don't sound like I obsess about it, because I don't, but it is definitely in the back of my mind.