Remembering Mom

I don't have a lot of words in me today but I do have some photos to share.





























Above is a photo of Mom, Dad, my brother and me at Disneyland on June 4, 1968. It just may be my favorite photograph in the whole world. We were in Tomorrowland. The landscaping is different now, and the black fountain is gone, but the rest of the site still stands. I'm the kid with the chubby legs, on the right.































Above is another photo of my family. This one was taken 36 years later, at Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary party. This is one of the last photos taken of my family, and it documents one of the last times that all four members of my family were together. I love my parents' smiles in this photo.





























And this is Mom, at the same party. Mom hated having her photo taken, but I'm glad that she allowed the photographer we hired to snap photos of her all evening. Mom and Dad traveled from their home in Tennessee to my brother and his wife's home in Thousand Oaks for the party. A lot of their friends and our relatives were there.


Mom died on Sept. 24, 2007. This is our second Mother's Day without her. Dad is still living in Tennessee, and I know he'll be visiting Mom's gravesite at the V.A. on Mother's Day. My brother and I will be with him in spirit, and so will my brother's wife and Mom and Dad's two grandchildren, Mom's sister and her family, and many others.

I still try to stay in touch with Mom. There are even days when I reach for the phone and think that I can reach her. When I'm having a rough day, I think of Mom's incredible strength and her humor, and that helps pull me through.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you and I miss you.