Today would have been my mother’s 80th birthday. She passed away in 1999, re-occurring breast cancer. It’s hard to imagine that twelve years have passed. Reaching midlife has not changed how much I miss her nor has the empty space in my life dissipated. My sister claims even now I was forever changed by the whole ordeal surrounding her death. My mother was a fabulous cook, avid golfer, and a superb mother. In fact, she was a mom to more than only her natural children. Plenty of friends and family were waiting to occupy our vacant rooms. Dad compared this to a boarding house and often wondered who would be moving in next. Mom would simply smile. Anyone who knew my mother would speak first of the Italian meals she prepared, followed by her funny laugh that was extremely contagious. You know, one of those genuine happy and giggly kinds of laughs. According to the hubby, Mom’s laugh was...
