She was absolutely the most brilliant woman I have ever known. Literally. Ivy League educated, she was as totally at home visiting with relatives on a ranch in New Mexico with no running water as she was spending time in exclusive areas of Boston at the home of friends. Like many women of her time, WWII brought tragedy and loss, and from this she gained the compassion and empathy she taught and expected of us. She could recite among many...Twain, and Hemingway, Poe, and Michener, and build a color tv from scratch from a kit. Her quotes from Shakespeare were often shared pointedly to us, but the constant was, "To thine own self be true..." It was expected we would question, that being the point...critically thinking about what we saw and heard. She taught us all people are to be valued and respected, and disrespect of anyone would be followed by a face-to-face apology. It was quietly expected we would always do our best, and that included being involved in the world, actively, to make it better. That was simply what G-d expected of us. She was fun, kind, caring, and non-judgemental...anyone who knew her will back that up. My siblings and I joke she was born a generation too early as she was a bit Bohemian, and a bit of a rebel. 20 years ago today, I held her hand, whispered in her ear she had given me all I needed to live without her, but I would miss her, my mother, every single day of my life. As she quietly left us, my heart broke in a way it will never heal...until I hopefully enter that realm where she now resides.
