My Midwinter Maternal Void

all over the place . . . then poof! . . . gone

Mom at 33, in 1955, a year before I was born

Mom was adored by everyone who knew her and it could feel a little invisible to be standing in her shadow. Only belatedly, I see how self-absorbed she was.

As a kid, she had frequent ear infections. One of her favorite family stories was telling how her dad got up in the middle of the night to hold her and blow…