To Mom

On Mother's Day it's always a good idea to pay some kind of tribute to your mom. I just got off the phone with mine, who raised ten good kids on a shoestring budget and managed to create a family of artistic and creative people. I have one brother who's an actor (now a production manager for pocket opera, a sister who creates beautiful clothes and other things with her sewing machine (when she's not nursing), a brother who can build any structure you like, a sister who teaches and creates art in Nashville, a brother who plays in a gospel bluegrass band in Hot Springs (when he's not being a fireman or working on the cabin he built in the Black Hills), a sister who plays guitar and paints (when she's not working as an occupational therapist), two brothers who have been playing in bands and otherwise working in Boise, Idaho (previously mentioned here), and a brother who's a potter and creates designs for Heath Ceramics.
So who's your momma? Mine still sings publicly, both as a part of a barbershop choir and as a soloist, and her manic piano-playing still lingers in all of her childrens' minds. She encouraged us all by enjoying and playing music and creating art, and we were left to our own devices, thinking of the world as a stage for our skills and voices. Thanks, Mom.