Sunday was a day of phone calls, with all three of my kids checking in with Mothers' Day wishes, each one special and pretty darn wonderful in his or her own way. Bob (in Reno NV) is a single dad with three kids, two in college. Robin (in Woodland Park CO) gives most of her free time to the Boy Scouts, where she is a dedicated volunteer, but still manages to find time for her own college work. To honor Mother's Day, Michael (my Juneau son, married to Sheryl, with children Becky and little Michael) posted a couple of old photos that I thought you might like to see. They're here, on his blog.
Top left is a Christmas photograph, probably 1967, when we lived in Champaign, IL (The giveaway clue is that desk in the background, which at one time belonged to my grandmother. I wrote my first short story at that desk, when I was about eight years old. We sold it when we moved out to Berkley.) Michael is obviously thrilled with his present, isn't he? Looks like a record, maybe "The Grinch," which the kids got about that time. The lower right photo was taken a year or two later, also at Christmas, in Berkley. The other two photos are of Sheryl and her mom. A great Mom's Day gift, guys--thanks!
And here's another very nice thing, Michael's first published newspaper column in the Juneau Empire! Some day, when he has written a dozen novels or books of non-fiction, you can say that you read him first here. He says that I once declared that my life's ambition was to see one of my children's work published. I don't remember saying that, exactly, but anything's possible. Anyway, I'm thrilled--wouldn't you be, if one of your children broke into print? Michael, I'm pretty darn proud of you.
Reading note. Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down, and write it as it occurs to you. The writing is easy--it's the occuring that's hard.--Stephen Leacock