“When a daughter loses a mother, the intervals between grief responses lengthen over time, but her longing never disappears. It always hovers at the edge of her awareness, prepared to surface at any time, in any place, in the least expected ways.” – Hope Edelman “I have a family too.” – Ann Dial Criss ––––– LESLIE CRISS Through the years, when I’ve lived close to my parents, I’ve cooked a favorite meal for each of them on their birthdays. My dad has always come up with something fairly quickly; my mom usually spent more time, giving it great thought. When she’d finally fix firmly on the main meal, she’d spend even more time deciding on dessert. If she were still with us, I’d be waiting today on her to announce her sweet of choice I’d happily make to celebrate the date of her birth. On Wednesday, she would be turning 83. She’s been gone six years and I miss her every day. It’s very odd, this missing thing.