If life is a journey then Mom’s has been a long and rewarding one. It began in 1926 under the reign of George V and the Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. She was raised in a modest home in Toronto through the Great Depression, World War II and became a war bride in 1944 to her life partner of 58 years.

She travelled on the original Queen Mary (twice), visited France and later in life travelled to some of the more ancient and exotic destinations in the world.

While not scholarly beyond the expectations of her time, she was able to apply her extraordinary skills as President of the Elizabeth Fry Society by nationally and publically challenging the Liberal government of the day. This ultimately led to the opening of the first half-way house in Canada for federal female offenders. She then embarked on a long time position as Administrative Assistant in the Politics Department at Queen’s University.

She has hob-knobbed with Royalty at Buckingham Palace and was friends with Flora MacDonald, M.P.

She was there at the beginning of the space age, the technology age and witnessed a moon landing.

She raised 3 children during the turbulent 60’s and 70’s, relatively unscathed, which now, as an adult, I recognize as a singularly significant achievement. You can see her legacy in her children and more importantly in her grandchildren.

Although plagiarized from an unknown source this summarizes the dramatic changes she saw:

 You were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill.

You were born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens, before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes... and before man walked on the moon.

You got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be?

In your time, Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer Jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with your cousins.

You thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and Outer Space was the back of a Theatre.

You were born before househusbands, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. You were before daycare centres, group therapy and nursing homes. You never heard of FM Radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. For you, timesharing meant togetherness.... not computers or condominiums, a chip meant a piece of wood: hardware was hardware and software wasn't even a word!

In 1926, "made in Japan" meant junk and the term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam. Pizzas, MacDonald's and instant coffee were unheard of.

You hit the scene when there were $.5 and $.10 stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. For one nickel you could ride a street car, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or have enough stamps to mail a letter and two postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for under $600. but who could afford one: a pity too, because gasoline was $ .11 a gallon!

In your day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, Grass was mowed, Coke was a cold drink, and Pot was something you cooked in. Rock Music was a grandma's lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the principal's office.

What do you say to the woman who brought you into this world, who provided a safe, nurturing home, who fed you, clothed you and was always there with a hug and a band aide when you fell down. Parenthetically, there were times when her tastes regarding appearance and clothing may have been a little off. There are early pictures of me looking like some weird cross between Perry Como and Ricky Nelson and there are pictures of my brother, at a very young age, with long curls that made him look a little like Zero Mostel with hair!

When facing a possible grade failure because my spelling skills weren’t strong (thank goodness for spell check now) you were the one who would organize spelling bees at the dinner table. You made us eat our vegetables (even though you recently admitted you never really liked them). To this day, I continue to wrestle with the notion that somehow Lima beans are actually good for you!

Although we were raised with traditional pets such as cats, dogs and fish, you allowed me to “adopt” some non-traditional ones such as baby snapping turtles, a bat and a large turtle. One of my more successful adoptees was one of your most favourite cats we called Mickey.

For the better part of 5 decades you lived beside Kingston Penitentiary, and that, combined with your work with E. Fry was profoundly influential in my decision to embark on a career in Corrections.

Early in life you enjoyed singing although none of us, sadly, inherited that ability. You were a prolific and skilled sewer and an artistic painter.

You instilled a strong sense of fair-play, morality and how to pursue your ambitions. You had no expectations beyond happiness for all of us.

Your niece, Eleanor Hill, asked me to include “you were a beautiful person inside and out”.            

So, to answer my own question, “what do you say?”……… Thanks Mom.