I got it free

She didn't just love this card. She was being facetious. If it had birds or flowers or butterflies on it, she pretty much hated it. So I was surprised to find it in my mailbox one day. Once I read it, I cracked up.

And that little drawing under "Mom" has a story of its own. One day when I was in high school I got home and she pushed a piece of paper across the table to me. A corner of it was covered with these little drawings. One or two, her favorites, were circled.

"Guess what it is?"

So we played a never-ending game of twenty-questions until she finally said, "Okay, I'll just tell you. It's half a tuna salad sandwich with lettuce and a frilly toothpick."

It didn't mean anything. It's just what she'd had for lunch. But it struck her funny and she decided that this was going to be her symbol. My best friend and I signed our notes : ) and = ) and Mom wanted to have something, too. So hers became that--a half a tuna salad sandwich with lettuce and a frilly toothpick.

It's one of the few samples of her handwriting I have. It's kind of like hearing her voice.