Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful people who fill that role in Children's lives.

My mom was the first person I wanted desperately to call after we emerged from our house after the tornado destroyed it back in 2002.

I called and almost yelled, "Mom, our house was in a tornado!" And then in the seconds that I paused after saying that I realized, Oh My God I've just given my mom a heart attack and quickly said out loud, "But we're Ok!"

And the next day, after sleeping in our basement in what was left of the house, and feeling the stress of trying to deal with everything, including well intended well wishers, I called her again and asked if she would come down to help, as I needed a helper that it was ok to tell (instead of asking)to do things for me, where I didn't have to put up the pleasant façade that was so exhausting. Bless her, she knew exactly what I meant, that sometimes when you are in shock and barely coping, you can be curt when all your energy it so focused on what you need to do...she was on a plane from New England and here in Maryland that very day.

And it wasn't the first time she had 'come to my rescue.'

Nicole, I thought of my mother today. She passed as a young woman of 60 years in 1960. A farm woman who never had running water in the house or a inside toilet. She raised seven children and never complained that I heard of. We never ever celebrated a Mothers day or thanked her but I think of her often. There is a place in heaven for mothers. Mitch

Your mother sounds like she was an angel on earth as well...