Graduation, and getting away from there. The only date I could get to the only school dance I went to, Senior Prom, was a gay guy. CA

I liked to do a Mystery/Thriller…like ‘Seven’, ‘Hannibal’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’ I’m hooked on henous(sp) murder mysteries. CA

In China they always used the word ‘clever’ for intellegent. I like being ‘CLEVER.’ CA

My Thanksgiving was wonderful with QM’s friends. We ate too much, and brought home left-overs. But the very nicest part of the day was when we were all saying goodbye. As we were all hugging one of the couples whispered to me that they would give me a kidney if they could. They had lost their only child to suicide several years ago, and all the Bridge Broad Group rallied around them. So when they said that, I thought their offer was the most selfless and generous act imaginable. I have a lot to be thankful for. CA

QM and I will be at the house of one of her Bridge Broads who is also a widow and a single daughter the same age as I am. There will be an additional couple who is also a Bridge Broad friend of QM’s. Her husband has gone blind, but is one of the funniest men I know. I will be thankful for my mom’s friends, and not having to spend the holiday by ourselves. I will eat all the wrong things and love every minute of it. Happy Thanksgiving All! CA

Phyllis, Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving. Since I am an only child, I have created an imaginary alternate personality that I refer to as ‘The Bad Daughter.’ This is assuming that I am ‘The Good Daughter’ most of the time. When the ‘Good Daughter’ does something nice for QM, I always remind her to remember that for when the ‘Bad Daughter’ rears her ugly head. We’ve turned peoples heads while out in public when I pipe-up and say that her ‘Good Daughter’ did thus-and-such for her. We are really quite silly and laugh at ourselves a lot. It’s good medicine for bad times. CA

Thanks Frannie. Happy Thanksgiving! CA

Opps! I’ll second that EKA. CA

Mom and I are going to Macy’s to buy each other Christmas gifts on the ‘day before Thanksgiving Day sale.’ We then agree not to buy another thing for each other. This is all for show because we both make sure there are extra little gifts that show up under the tree over night for a Christmas morning surprise. I always buy mom one special gift (jewelry), and put on the tag that it is from my dad. I have been doing that since the first Christmas after he passed away in Feb 2002. The 26th of November was their anniversary, so when mom wakes up this morning she will have a gift there at the breakfast table…from my dad with all his love. CA

I was flying into ATL from PHX for a change of planes. We were in a terrible rain storm and as we came in for a landing the plane caught a wind sheer. All I remember was we were flying sideways and seeing the runway face to face out the window. In a flash the pilot corrected and took us up 3,000 ft vertical. Half the plane had hurled all over the place. We had to be diverted to Greenville-Spartanburg and waited for what seemed like hours for the cleaning crew to hose out the entire plane. It still smelled like puke on our way back to ATL, and I will never forget that near miss crash. I also am still wondering why they just didn’t send a clean plane to fly us to our destination. I have avoided flying into ATL ever since. Oh! I am not afraid of flying…never have been, never will. CA

Frannie, the daunting task is keeping up with my mother’s world one minute at a time…LOL! CA

I’m with Candice on this one, and add Michelle Obama to the mix. CA

I don’t have any major issues with any of the above, except I can’t get my mother to throw anything away. We have an entire toxic dump of plastic bags, twist ties, and you name it stashed throughout the house. Can any of you relate to this? CA

De B, I understand what that sacrifice for your children’s education means, but didn’t realize it until I was older. I was born and raised in Oak Park, IL about a zillion years ago. My parents weren’t wealthy but I was sent to a Catholic school where there was tuition to be paid and uniforms to be purchased until High School. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and it didn’t dawn on me that until I entered Public High School that my parents never took a vacation alone so they could afford to give me a quality education. My mom and I would travel with my grandmother on long trips and dad always stayed home and worked. I am forever grateful for what mom and dad did for me. I would imagine both the President-Elect and future First Lady feel the same way about their families sacrifice for them. I don’t understand why some posting earlier in this thread are making this a ‘political issue.’ It doesn’t make any sense to me. How about you? CA

Diana, I concur. Considering all the Press around the Clinton Administration, Hillary was able to provide Chelsea with a reasonably private childhood experience. I remember reading that Hillary was a ‘mother lion protecting her cub.’ God Bless her for being able to pull it off. I think Michelle Obama has that same character trait, and great counsel from her contemporaries. I am sensing a real reaching out to make this transition go smoothly for all. Mom’s, above all, will always be mom’s. CA