Dear Mom,
In case you’re wondering how, or even if, you live on in our lives — I wanted to reassure you that the seeds you so carefully sowed all those many years ago are thriving and even propagating strong new shoots. The careful preparation of the soil, the tending of that young garden, the hallmarks of your special touch are still evident today.

I see your face in the mirror and realize it’s me. I see your fingers on this keyboard and see the same characteristic marks of your hard-working hands. I welcome home my college student with the same joy and urges to feed him and spoil him — just like you did for me. An inexplicable irritableness can sometimes intervene in the simplest dealings with teen-somethings — remember those turbulent waters?

I hear your voice coming out of my mouth when I sing, and laugh at…