He doesn’t ask for much. Her grown children rarely do. So when a request comes through, she is usually happy to comply. She jumps at the opportunity. Her adult children are all independent, successful – and often give her more than she was ever able to give them during their growing up years. She hears from her youngest least. He is thoroughly autonomous though gracious and loving when she does get to interact with him. He’ll turn 30 this month. Mother and son are separated by more than a thousand miles. She has seen him once in the last 22 months and that was Mother’s Day. Typically, in the weeks preceding his birthday, she will text: what do you want for your birthday? Tell me something cheap and something expensive. He will answer. She will place an online order and he will text his thanks and surprise when the gift is delivered. Over the years these gifts have included anything from quarter inch monster cables to socks to trendy sport shoes to this year’s wood travel chess set.

She was sitting across the table from her roommate last night enjoying a late evening snack and a rundown of the day when the text came in.

Youngest son: Do you have any pictures of me in that power ranger outfit you made?

Now I ask you, what mom doesn’t have pictures? Hers have been stored in albums and shoe boxes in an old wooden toy box for the past 10 years as she moved around the region. Only recently has that wooden chest been unearthed from storage in a basement. For 10 years nobody but Mom needed anything from that chest.

Mom: Yes. How soon do you need it?  All old photos are in the teaching bench underneath the live Christmas Tree….

Youngest son: Jist send me a cell phone pic real quick!

(Real quick? Does he know what he is asking? It will take two people to lift the lighted, plugged-in, tree-in-a-pot down from its perch on the teaching bench. She knows. Already she has been through this process for one of her own memory projects, despite thinking ahead and insuring all photos were thoroughly tucked away – unneeded – before installing the tree).

Mom: We didn’t have cell phones back then.

Youngest son:  no like just take a picture of it haha

Youngest son: (attaches cell phone picture of his band mate / roommate as green ranger)

This is a picture of our guitarist! His mom made this, and I want to show him mine.

She shows the photo to her roommate. Without a word they rise, lift the tree from the riser and set it on the floor. She hinges back the lid and puts her hand on the most promising album. 

Halfway through the pages chronicling 1994 to 1997 she finds the photo, slips it out and snaps a picture and uploads to text.

Youngest son: that’s amazing thank you

She and her roommate sigh and finish sipping tea while the memories percolate. Her roommate is, after all, the pink ranger – and she is, to this very day a ninja – as is her brother.