06 February 2024

Time is a funny thing, “timey-wimey,” as The Doctor once said. Never argue about time with The Doctor. 

Today is Mom's birthday, or it would have been. I remember her every year at this time, and I always use this picture to remember her. 

Mom was orphaned at an early age when both her parents died. She spent time in an orphanage during the Great Depression until a wonderful family adopted her. She was the youngest in a large family, but for some reason, none of her older siblings offered to take her in. That unpleasant fact still haunts me. 

Mom graduated high school in 1943. I try to imagine what her life was like, going from the shock of losing her parents, her sense of abandonment, and finding a new family while going through the hardships of the Great Depression and WW II. She was a remarkably strong person, even as a child. 

She married Dad in 1947. He was 17 years older than her, a WW II veteran, and he cared for her deeply. I wasn't born until 1964, an only child with two wonderful parents. 

Mom's older siblings located her and tried to establish relationships. Dad was more observant than Mom. He saw manipulation and jealousy. Mom desperately wanted to be part of that family, but the siblings were strangers. 

One older sister, in particular, was a source of trouble. That aunt showed no familial affection or love to Dad or me while she attempted to control Mom by using the “sister” approach. 

Dad died in 1981 when I was 17, a particularly tough time to lose a father. Mom was always there. She shouldered the load of Mother and Father while I graduated from high school and went away to college. She supported me when I went to the Navy. She met Hal and fell in love with him, which made me confident I found the right person. 

Mom suffered several strokes in February 2001. Hal and I were with her when she passed away on February 4, 2001. I placed a birthday gift in her coffin as a tribute to her. 

I write this as a living tribute to Mom, who would have been 99 years old. It has been 23 years since she left. I write this never to forget her. 

Cherish those you love, and remember those no longer here. 

Be kind to each other.