Reflections on Gratitude

Half my life ago, I was a mother with three young children, aged 3 to ten. I would often walk with them through the pioneer cemetery and stand in awe that I was born when I was, where I was. Because of that, my children grew up to be strong adults. I didn't lose them before or at birth to Rh factor, or because I couldn't get a Caesarean Section. They didn't succumb to several severe infections because we had effective antibiotics. Polio, measles, mumps, and rubella passed them by because we had vaccinations. Water sanitation saved them from lead poisoning, hepatitis, cholera, and typhoid.

Here is a sad parade created by parents who were not so fortunate. Please take a moment and view the whole slide show. Not one of these children is more than twevle years old. Most of these pictures were taken at Douglass Pioneer Cemetery in Troutdale; I left weeping. But I also felt grateful for the ones who remain, my children and others who are making the world.