On this day in 1932 Joe and Alma Wood had their first of nine children. She was a baby girl and they named her Mary Eileen Theresa Wood. 
She lived through the Second World War and spent her teen years wondering about many of the same things that teens think about today. During those years she met the man and fell in love. His name was Jules Gillette and his father ran a successful furniture business in a small Ontario town called Cornwall.
Because this man was protestant and she was catholic, they were married in a small ceremony surrounded by a few of their closest friends. In 1958 they had their first child and that was I. A year and a bit later came Paul, then Nelson and some time later, Karen.
Life for my mother was seldom easy, but she always believed in the fundamental good inside people and she was rarely disappointed. She always had a smile and a good word for everyone. Even though Alzheimer’s robbed her of her golden years, she woke up every day with a smile and a pleasant demeanor.
Last year my mother left us one day before mother’s day. She was no longer able to see, hear, walk or remember anything about her life. I recently wrote a song called “One foot in heaven” that describes how I would like to think she spent her final days. Raising three sons and a daughter should be miracle enough to be nominated for saint-hood.
My mother would have been 82 today, Happy Birthday Mom…