"Ma"

Unbelievably, just a week after Tim lost his grandmother, my last grandparent, "Ma," passed away as well. She was a voracious Scrabble player, loved tea and the ritual of sharing love and laughter around her dining room table, had a gentle, witty sense of humor, and fiercely loved her faith and her family. She will be greatly missed by her 6 children, 22 grandchildren, and a growing-by-the-minute brood of great-grandchildren (22 at press time!).

I'm thankful that she lived long enough (85 years! But shhh, don't tell her I know her age) to share her wisdom as a mother of seven. Although I'm not sure I'm brave enough to rotate a newborn from stomach to back several times throughout the night to prevent a misshapen head, I have definitely taken other advice to heart! I will never dress a baby in anything less than two layers, with a proper undershirt or onesie. And no matter how crazy her day at home was with her growing family, she always found time to straighten the house and put on lipstick before "Pa" arrived home from work. I channel her obsessive tidiness with my late-night cleaning, and love a competitive game of Scrabble. I'll also feel like a small part of her is always nearby, when I drive by the house she grew up in - just a few blocks from our house - and treasure her stories of being a young girl and a young bride in San Francisco.

Thanks to Uncle Joe, Ma's frequent Scrabble partner, for supplying the Scrabble image!