About Me

My photo
I live on the ocean, write women's fiction, love to read so much that it's an addiction rather than a hobby (I read an average of a book a day). I live on the wet west coast so it's a good thing that I like to walk in the rain.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

It's my mom's birthday today

and, although I miss every single day, I miss her more today. I wish I had a picture of her to share with you - I will take my favourite photo over to London Drugs and have it scanned and then put it on Facebook. You can check it out there.

She was the kind of person everyone loved. Boyfriends I had as a teenager still, years later, when miles and miles out of their way to drop by and see her long after they'd forgotten me. My friends all called her Jose (pronounced the Spanish way) Mom - and that's the way I often think of her.

Jose Mom was the least judgmental person I've ever known - and I try, very hard, to be at least a little bit like her. She loved everyone she met and listened very carefully to whatever stories they had to tell her. She also loved animals - any and all of them.

Once she moved out of the city - she had all kinds of them, whatever happened to come into her path. A goat. Dozens of dogs and cats. Birds. Fish. Even wild animals felt safe in her yard -

Over the years, I saw bears and deer and chipmunks and raccoons and well, whatever, other animals you can think of - they were in her yard and they all got along. At the time it seemed natural, but now I look back on it, it seems a bit Disney-ish to me. Probably to you as well.

I was a lucky child and a lucky woman and a lucky writer to have such a terrific mom. She wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but she was warm and caring and a great inspiration for me.

Thanks, Mom.

Kate

2 comments:

Sharon said...

Happy birthday to your mom, Kate! She sounds like a warm, wonderful person...just the kind of person who would make a great character in a book. Have you ever based a character on her?

Kate Austin said...

Sharon, I haven't based a character on her - though I've based a whole bunch of characters on parts of her... she's always showing up in my stories, one part or another of her.

Kate