happy mother's day!

On our walk yesterday we took the 10-minute streamside pathway before we went further. Again we saw the large goose family. Eleven - count them - eleven goslings!

I was part of a big family too. I'm the oldest of nine. "How much fun that must have been!" people say when I tell them.

I guess. Now when I look back on it, I know we had fun. At the time, though, a room of my own where no one would get into my stuff was my biggest fantasy.


My biggest trial was when we all went out together in the three-seater Pontiac station wagon. I made a point of not sitting in the back seat, which faced backward and looked right at the driver behind us. But sitting in the middle wasn't much better. I especially cringed when we got to a red light and people stopping in the lane beside us looked over, saw the mass of heads, looked again and began counting. For 14-year-old who was shy and awkward at the best of times, that was pure torture.



Through it all, my mom was wonderful. She honestly liked kids and we felt thoroughly loved. When in my teenage angst I complained about how self-conscious our large family made me feel, she asked, "Which one would you want to give away?" That shut me up in a hurry!

On this day set aside to honor moms, I miss her especially. Today is exactly a month past her birthday - she would have been 95 April 10th (she died in June 2006). She is the person who has influenced me the most of anyone in my life. If someday by some dint of genetics and grace I grow up to be even half as kind, generous, loyal, creative and life-loving as she was, I will consider myself blessed.