I sent the following email in response to this post. Thanks Leigh for making me realize I wasn't being insane. I'll let you all know if I get a reply.

...
Dear Mother Jones,

I meant to send this letter months ago, perhaps in June when I got a direct mailing from you asking me to renew (I assume, I never opened the envelope). Why would I write? Because the envelope asked me when the last time I wrote Mother. This was in my mailbox (that once housed your publication) just weeks after I lost my own mother. Today I ran across a friend of a friend's website and he was equally stung by your direct mailing. He lost his mom in the last few years.

I am asking you to please stop sending out your mailing in this fashion. Ask us when the last time we wrote MJ, something besides Mother. At first I thought I was only too raw from the pain and being silly, but I realize that I wasn't being silly.

Thank you for your time and I await your response.

Veronica