Five years

The past five years have given us two presidential elections, the September 11th attacks, the tsunami, Hurricaine Katrina, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. My mother would have found these events fascinating. It would have been heart-rending for her to watch us go to war, but she would have followed the details all the same. She would have been bouyed by the program of peace studies at her alma mater. "I'm planting winter wheat," she'd said of projects that might not be completed in her lifetime.

It's been five years since my mother died and we still miss her. Not only do we miss her good humor, generosity, and eclectic spirit, but we also miss the way that she help us understand the world in a different way. Each day held something interesting. Each person brought something new. Each idea connected her with someone important in her life. She lived as she died, surrounded by friends and family, in her room and in her heart.