News

May is one of my favorite months. It marks the end of the busy season here. Even though we have to say goodbye to friends for a few months while they travel north, or to the islands, or maybe overseas, there are some perks for those of us who stay put. The highways, restaurants, shops and beaches are a little less crowded and the pace is a little less hectic.
    My mom was fan of the less hectic, but so much of her life was just the opposite. She tended to the needs of eight children and a husband who worked three jobs to keep the brood in tip-top shape. For many years of her life, there simply wasn’t time for her to kick back and relax.
    It’s funny, I don’t remember her ever complaining. She always talked about how blessed she was, how grateful.
    The other day, while sorting through some old files, I came across a Mother’s Day card I had made for Mom when I was in fourth grade. I had written a limerick on it that read, in part:
    There once was a mudder named Kate.
    To Ivan she made a fine mate.
    Eight children had she — four he and four she.
    Dull moments were not in her fate.
    I wonder how many nights, after a long day of housework, she sat patiently beside one of us to help with a long night of homework. She couldn’t have had a lot of time, but somehow she always found it.
    Mothers do things like that and don’t even think twice about it. Linda Kaplan, our Coastal Star this month (see story to the right), is a good example. She was just 26 with three babies of her own when her own mother died leaving two young children (Linda’s sister and brother) behind. Linda didn’t think twice about what to do. She and her husband, Steve, adopted both and never looked back.
    It was, for them, the right thing to do.
    I’m always in awe of people who make so many right decisions. My mom and Linda are among so many mothers who fall into this category. They are blessings for whom we all can be grateful. I know I am.    Happy Mother’s Day!
— Mary Thurwachter, managing editor