Yesterday was a long and tiring day but a really good day.  My Mom is almost 88. She has not been in good shape for a long time.  I decided that the best gift I could give her, in addition to her usual hanging basket of flowers, would be to get the family together so she could spend time with all her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.  Almost everyone was here. One nephew had to work and my brother and his family had other plans so they went to see her at her house in the morning.  Other than those two exceptions, everyone was at my house and Mom got to spend time with them.  That’s pretty good. On days like Mothers day everyone has multiple people to see and places to go. Honestly, in retrospect, it was as much a gift for me as for my Mom. There is nothing I like better than seeing my kids with their cousins and my grandkids playing with my sister’s grandson. And I love watching my baby sister with her husband and grandson.  The guys gather around the television watching a sporting event together, sometimes shouting at the screen. The kitchen table is alive with talk about kids, babies shopping and a host of other things. When the little guys get cranky, I take them to the play-room, pull out my guitar and some play instruments for them. We have our own little band.  It’s just perfect. The chatter of family fills the house with a joyful noise that really is the music of life.