Ten years ago today, my mother died. I still think of her every day, grateful for her patience and good humor in raising us. For decades, she worked as a legal secretary, in what was probably a stressful job. But when we were kids, her amusing stories made work sound like a sitcom. Her main memory of the Philippines during World War II, she said, was that a Japanese soldier gave her candy. She even cracked jokes while on her death bed at the hospital, trying to cheer us up and entertain my little nephew. 

Above: Mom with Tess at the airport, leaving Manila for the USA.