In the spirit of Lizzi’s Ten Things of Thankful (TToT), here are ten special gifts from my mother.  My mother and I had a tumultuous relationship, when we had one at all.  Our best times together came in her last five years, during which she suffered from dementia.  It was in that difficult season that we freely connected, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and shared many intimate moments.  Here are ten things I appreciate about this special woman.

1.  She taught me to laugh.  Even in our worst times together, we could sometimes find common ground through laughter.  And during the years of dementia?  We laughed like crazy.
2. My mother taught me to sew when I was quite young, trusting me with her precious Singer sewing machine.  She used to sew identical dresses for herself, my sister, and I.  We were quite a sight.
3. My mother had phenomenal verbal skills and I definitely shared her love of words.  We both enjoyed word puzzles.  Her fave was the Jumble.
4. I learned to love animals, and especially dogs, through my mother’s delight in pets.  I tried to pass this trait along to our kids but failed miserably.  Our son was disinterested and our adopted daughter was jealous of dear Luke.
5. I inherited her dreadful singing voice.  In her last years, my sister and I would hear her screeching happily to the dogs, absolutely off-key.  All I could think was, “Me, too!”
6. My mother and I shared a tremendous willfulness and we were both survivors, albeit through different routes.
7. We both loved to take photos from an early age.  We also enjoyed endless hours looking through photo albums.
8. In her last years, my mother and I watched numerous episodes of Martha Speaks, an animated PBS show for kids.  Martha, the talking dog, resembled several of my mother’s “goldens.”  We were sure they could all talk.
9. On the subject of talking, my mother and I were both chatterboxes.  I must admit I’ve had to learn the listening part of chatting as an adult, with help from my dearest widower.
10.  My mother and I shared a love of writing.  Neither of us completed anything worth reading, but the process was delightful.

Deboarding in New York after crossing the Atlantic. Caro was glad to be released from the “dog quarters.”