Ashley Judd Says She Thinks of Mom Naomi 'Constantly' as She Celebrates First Birthday Without Her

In a sweet tribute, Ashley Judd thanked her late mother Naomi Judd "for all my birthdays so far, and for celebrating me"

Ashley Judd is celebrating her first birthday without mom Naomi Judd by remembering all the special birthdays they shared in years past.

The Berlin Station actress turned 55 on Wednesday and marked the occasion by sharing a card that Naomi — who died by suicide in April 2022 — wrote around the time her daughter was born. She also shared a photo of herself enjoying cake in bed.

"My birthday. Everyone who loves me is making it as soft (cake in bed) and precious as they can, as my mind can't help but calculate that on my last birthday, Mom was a scant 11 days from her death by crushing suicide," she wrote. "So it is my first without her. I think of her constantly."

Ashley then said she'd read over her baby announcement and recalled the ways in which Naomi loved to tell her each year about the day she was born.

"During my birthday at some point she would glow, patting my arm, 'You were brown when you came out, surprised me so, and the sweetest, easiest baby….how I loved you, I had to swat peoples' hands, they wanted to touch you,' and patter on about my baby stories," Ashley wrote. "I hope all parents do that for their children on their birthdays."

The star noted that she and her country singer mom celebrated so many birthdays together, but last year's lingered in her mind, as it was "more muted, being so close to her end."

Ashley said Naomi and her husband Larry Strickland had stopped by with a roast chicken and cornbread, and the trio ate dinner together, with Naomi taking frequent breaks to lie down.

"We had cake and in spite of being weak and preoccupied with the disease that was eating at her, she had a gorgeous card for me and I knew, as ever, how much she loved me," she wrote. "I know that today, too, even as she breathes in the infinite mercy of God."

RELATED VIDEO: Ashley Judd Says She Can 'Understand' That Mom Naomi Was in 'Pain' and 'Doing the Best She Could'

Ashley concluded her post with a thank you to Naomi "for all my birthdays so far, and for celebrating with me," and recalled the way her mother would hold her at bedtime and tell her, "Ashley, you are an extraordinary woman."

"What more does a birthday girl need, than memories of a mother like that? And this is how she saw and loved me, first awake, hair never brushed, ready to share our dreams," she concluded. "For you, Mom. For you."

Related:Ashley Judd Breaks Leg Again, Citing 'Clumsiness' After Mom Naomi's Death: 'It Allowed Me to Grieve'

The actress's sweet tribute received an outpouring of love from fans and friends alike, including Debra Messing and Lindsey Vonn, who lost her own mother in August.

"It's moments like this that we reflect on our Mothers most. Sending love 💕," the athlete wrote.

Ashley has been open about her grieving process in the year since losing Naomi, and said in a July podcast appearance that she's gained a new perspective on mental illness, understanding that her mother's pain was a product of her disease.

"I look back on my childhood and I realize I grew up with a mom who had an undiagnosed and untreated mental illness," she said on the Healing with David Kessler podcast. "And there are different behavioral expressions, interactions, flights of fancy, choices that she made that I understand were an expression of the disease and I understand that and know that she was in pain and can today understand that she was absolutely doing the best she could, and if she could have done it differently, she would have."

Related:Wynonna Judd Reveals She Wrote New Song 'Broken and Blessed' After Death of Mom Naomi: 'That's How I Feel'

Earlier in the conversation, Ashley also explained that something she'd learned over the years was that she "didn't cause" her mother's illness, "couldn't control it" and also "couldn't cure it."

With that in mind, the She Said actress noted she hoped that Naomi's death brought with it a sense of peace for the "Love Can Build a Bridge" singer.

"My most ardent wish for my mother is that when she transitioned, she was hopefully able to let go of any guilt or shame that she carried for any shortcomings she may have had in her parenting of my sister and me. Because certainly on my end, all was forgiven long ago, all was forgiven long ago," Ashley said.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.