When my father passed away, my mother asked me to write a tribute to him. Doing so was extraordinarily cathartic and helped me through a difficult time. Despite that, it was not an easy decision to do the same thing upon my mother’s passing. Where my father had the overblown traits of a fictional character, she was far more nuanced and I was concerned that I might not see my Mom the same way my siblings had. Because of that, I drafted a tribute and asked my sister Joan to edit and enhance my thoughts. The result of that process is what follows. This small passage was extremely painful to compose. I had the time to more leisurely craft Arthur’s tribute and I’d catch myself laughing aloud as I recounted the stories of his life. More to the point, that experience was made easier by my mother’s presence, her guidance, her suggestions and her appreciation for the finished product. This time I shed tears through every page. Still, I’m glad it’s done and I’m grateful for a