had me when she was 42, so it kind of changes how I was raised. It’s almost like I have the values of a baby boomer, instead of Gen X. My older sisters are old enough to be my mom.

She was a child during the 30’s, she grew up with horses and buggies, outdoor toilets, woodstoves, and no electricity.

When I think of how much the world has changed in her lifetime, I am stunned.

She became a wife at 18, and had nine children (I am the youngest). For her time, and in a rural area, this was pretty much how life was for women. She didn’t have many other options, given that she had a grade 8 education.

My Dad died of cancer about the time I was born, so Mom raised the kids alone, and kept the farm going.

I don’t know that I have ever faced challenges that my Mom had, and I never want to! It’s hard for me to feel like I can ever complain about life, or to walk away from things that need to be done after seeing what a person is capable of doing, when the circumstances demand action.

A card always feels inadequate.