Celebrating Life

There are some people who when you look at them you would think they were always in a bad mood. The look on their faces signal, "Don't bother me. Don't say anything to me. I'm not interested." Not my mother. My mother's smile would light up a room. It was her natural expression. I can't remember her ever frowning much. I'm not saying she went around with a smile on her face all the time. It's just that she had a pleasant face, a gentle face that appeared to the outside world that she was approachable, non-threatening. Some people when they see a person smile take it for weakness and get set to take advantage. My mother related once that her co-workers would sometimes get annoyed at her because of her smile. "Don't you ever get mad?" They'd ask her. Of course she got angry, particularly at things she deemed unjust or unfair. On her job, she was a shop steward, a union representative. Co-workers would come to her if they had a griev...

My friend Mattie wanted me to pass along this bit of wisdom to all her young females who are just starting out on life's journey.  She calls it "Six things I bequeath to you" I leave you my six-inch high heel shoes, the ones that made my feet scream at me as I strolled across the floor looking cute, trying to hide the pain that stabbed with each step. Despite the podiatrists' warnings, they are now back in style. I leave you my mini skirts that rose up whenever I sat down revealing parts of my body better left hidden. Try having a serious conversation with a man when his eyes are drawn not to your face, but to your legs. I leave you my push-up bras. Same reason as above. My false eyelashes that made me look like a lovesick cow. It was hard to keep them on my eyelids. Maybe today the glue is better. I lost one once and wondered why people looked at me strangely. I leave you my children during their teenage years when they become creatures from another planet....