Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms, Grandmoms, Stepmoms and Moms-to-be.  What a joy and privilege it is to have these titles.  I would like to dedicate my blog today to my Mom, Betty Wood and my Grandmother Ella James.  These two ladies demonstrated on a daily basis what the word truly means.  My Grandma was warm, caring, generous and funny.  She assumed  the role of mother at 6 years of age when she took over the responsibility for her younger sister.  She worked in a restaurant in the dust bowl of Oklahoma to earn money to support her family.  Her kind heart and generous spirit were her trademark features. Every stray dog and cat in her town knew they could always find a home with Ella. She also took care of neighbors in need and even brought them into her home to care for them when no family was available to do this. Her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren hold such special memories of time spent w Grandma Ella.  Her daughter, my Mom, was a gal of the 40's. She became a teacher before she had even finished college due to the lack of teachers at that time.  She then went on to pursue advanced degrees in education and ultimately worked at a teacher's college sharing her gifts as a teacher with teachers-in-training.  Many of her former students have remarked to me that my Mom was the first person who believed in them and that confidence helped pull them out of a rut and boosted them along their way.  My Mom was also truly beautiful inside and out. She was classy, funny and smart.  I loved to travel with her because she never met a stranger.  I would hope that I have been fortunate enough to carry a bit of Ella and Betty inside of me and hopefully that I have passed this along to my beautiful daughters Caitlin and Ciara. Have a great day and spend time with the people you love.