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Monday, February 3, 2014

Mom's 70th

Today marks my mother's 70th birthday. She lived to be in her late 50's, but never got to experience her 60's, let alone her 70's. I can't really imagine what she might have thought about starting this new decade. Maybe she'd be excited to eat cake and celebrate "her" day. Maybe she'd want a spa day. Maybe it would be a Monday like any other. Maybe she'd feel old. Maybe she'd feel grateful for the additional 13 years. I really don't even know what to think about what my life might look like with my mom a part of it. Essentially, I never got to know her as an adult. I'm left with a somewhat fictionalized version of my adolescent memories of her. I was robbed, some might say, of this chapter of our mother-daughter story.

About a year ago I first initiated a project to create a "Grandma Nancy Book." I asked friends and family to share brief memories, anectdotes, photos, and words or pictures of any kind in order to compile something concrete for the Bean and other future grandchildren to look at and learn about the grandmother they never had the chance to meet. I have yet to actually put anything together, but again reached out to people requesting a little something. The general message, as is usually true with people who have died, is how kind, how warm, how involved she was. It's so very important to me for my mother to remain a part of the Bean's story, even if somewhat indirectly. A book with stories and pictures seems like a nice kid-friendly way to talk about someone, remember that person, and create a story to relate to. That said, it's still on my "To Do" list.

In honor of this milestone birthday, Alex, Francie, my dad and I will eat key lime pie together tonight.


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