Since my Mom died (see “My Mother and Her Shoe Boxes”), holidays can be a bummer, frankly. Since my Mom died, I anticipate my birthday with dread, honestly. Family events highlight her absence. By way of background, my mother and I were very similar personality types: extroverts, who like to joke and make things happen.

I am at our town YMCA this Saturday morning, watching two of my children take swimming lessons. We have what some consider to be a “large” family. Yet, it doesn’t feel large to us. Each child is so unique and is such an individual. It would be impossible to lump them into a homogeneous group.

This is a hard post to write. Today is May 12. It is the day of my mother’s birthday. She also died, at age 60, on May 12. That day also happened to be Mother’s Day. It was a difficult day with too many coincidences. Soon after she passed away, I was at the funeral