I want to tell you about my mother-in-law, Ethel Kirsch, whom it has been my privilege to call “Mom” in the 19 years since my own mother passed. Actually, I want Ethel to tell you about herself. Last year, in honor of her 99th birthday, my wife Joan and her sister Nancy gifted Mom with a package from a group called Storyworth. The idea is that your loved one is sent an assignment to write about every week for a year. In the end, the stories are collected and put together into a book, with pictures if you so desire. It is an irreplaceable keepsake and a way of preserving the oral history of your family.
Here’s Mom’s response about the importance of family:
“I’ve never received an award for outstanding writing, never invented something that won public acclaim, never held an elective office, all of which would be considered a noteworthy achievement…However, I think that I can claim certain achievements in my life that I can boast about…The usual highs and lows that we all go through in our everyday living are always there but remembering those highs are wonderful and satisfying…They too deserve recognition as one of life’s achievements…Happily married for 54 years and raising two daughters who grew up to be women anyone could be proud of is a significant achievement…Having family and lifelong devoted friends is something not everyone can claim…I can and am lucky to be able to make that claim…Achievements do not have to make the headline in the newspapers…We all make our own in our daily living…Trying to live a decent, good, reputable life is an admirable goal and achievement…On a personal note, in four months, on March 13, 2023, I hope to celebrate my 100th birthday…I would say that would be considered a noteworthy achievement…”
As you can see, especially for a first-time writer, Mom had absolutely no trouble expressing herself. And she did, indeed, make it to her 100th birthday, and then some. Unfortunately, it would be the…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply