Rebecca’s Reflections
“ABANDONED”! How Mother Navigated International Travel with Two Teenagers
Mother always managed to turn hardship into opportunity. I’ll never forget our trip to Japan in the summer of 1976. Mother, Luke, and I traveled first to Portland to visit with older sister, Judy. After a few days with her, we flew to San Francisco where we had a long...
Mother’s Secret Admirer
Mother was a natural healer. Even without a degree in nursing or training in first aid, she always knew just what to do. Although she was a rather timid person normally, when it came to patching someone up, she was fearless. My father liked to work on his mountain...
Healing Touch
Scrape a knee, bump an elbow and Mother was the person to go to. She had a ready supply of Bactine and Band-aids, drops for swimmer’s ear, and needles for splinters. No matter how badly I banged myself up, she always made me feel better. Her healing properties didn’t...
Mother’s Notes: On Being the Best Louise She Could Be
Mother enjoyed keeping notes. She’d jot down recipes, make memos to herself, and keep lists. For a woman with five children, an active husband, and a full schedule of her own as a social worker and guardian ad litem, keeping notes was an essential strategy for staying...
Surprise! My Mother was a Feminist
Retiring, clearing an office of years of accumulation may be bittersweet, but it often yields unexpected treasures. I have noted in an earlier post the letter I received from my high school teacher, Mr. Takacs. (Actually, it was a letter from me to me!) The other day,...
Surprise! My Seventeen-Year-Old Self Wrote Me a Letter!
A number of years ago, I found a letter in my campus mailbox postmarked October 19, 2012. It originated from Raleigh, North Carolina, where I had gone to high school. The return address was from Stephen G. Takacs. The name sounded so familiar but I couldn’t place it...