Mom had a wonderful sense of humor - she loved to laugh, and to share that laughter with others - life as a result was full, indeed...
Food was ever present in our home - there were the assorted pies, including a variety of berries, cherry, lemon, and the the favorite, apple - but there were also chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal and raisin cookies, and for every celebration of anything important in the life of family a cake for each of the children to decorate themselves - food, like love, though not a substitute, was in abundance...
Hard work was the ethic, and a way of life for the family - to Mom hard work was "in the cards," and life never dealt you a hand you couldn't play...
"...And, he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own..." - Mom loved this hymn - its message was at the heart of the life she lived, and was central to what she passed on to her children....interestingly, there's a place in my heart for this tune as well...
Full measure - nothing was done half-way with her - it was full-bore, all the way, "Go For Broke..."
"I was very nervous about talking with my grandmother about (the relocation camps). We haven't had too many serious discussions in our relationship, but after we had talked a few times I feel we became more comfortable. I (initially) felt that asking about a hurtful time in my grandmother's life would bring up too many bad memories, but I feel that my grandmother now realizes how much history she holds within herself..."
~ Excerpt from My Grandmother's Life: An Oral History - by Jennifer Nagai