My Mother’s Present

The death of my mother brought an unusual visitor

Taken in 1999 one year before she passed

It was the day after my mother’s death. I have spent the past 24 hours in a whirlwind of emotions and tasks. The reality of her passing hit me over and over again like ice water being thrown in my face.

The overflow of family members stayed at a modest motel in nearby Banning, the $50 a night giving us all a handsome view of the freeway and the constant…