It was upon the rude awakening of my father’s death that I first took notice of my mother. There she stood at 43 years of age, overweight and slovenly. Our father had always been so immaculate about himself but our mother seemed to let herself go. Perhaps it was because she had so many children to take care of, or even that her marriage had soured, who knows? Whatever it was that was going on with her personally at the time was immensely overshadowed by the fact that her husband was dead, and she was left with a pile of children to raise. A financially strapped future faced us all. She, being of sound mind and body took on the task at hand, putting her family and it’s needs fi rst, quite often doing without for herself. Vivian Gillis Canton, these are her stories……..