Reflections 9/8/2020: Today is my deceased Mom’s birthday. She would have been 97. Miss her, (as we all do our Heaven-inhabiting loved ones). As I was perusing some old photos, I happened upon this picture a friend posted on FB some time ago, and it jumped out at me in whole new ways! The essence of my Mom! Supportive. Protective. Creative. Fun-loving. And an avid believer in us, her kids’ potential to be and do anything! She exchanged her own career ambitions of becoming a social worker to put our Dad through medical school, and then usher us, their 6 kids through the challenging stages of growing up into healthy adults. I treasure those daily debriefing times after school where she helped me make sense of wacky girl relationships, sibling rivalries, academic challenges, and emerging boy infatuations. Mom truly did believe in me more than I believed in myself. She was a social worker extraordinaire, whether she ever got the degree or not! Thank You for her, Lord! For her unconditional love. Her self-sacrificing commitment. Her life-launching words of encouragement. And for her secret early morning moments with You, God, that I would peek in on and long for that same passionate communication she had with You! Inspire to aspire! And it HAS been fun “catching up!”