I will stop short of calling you the “best” mother. It is the same mathematical thinking in me that makes me squirm when my friends call their husbands or wives the “best” husband or wife. A sample of one cannot lead to superlative adjectives.

But you were my mother. And to me, that is all that ever mattered.

As a mother, you were willing to support me (even though reluctantly) when I wanted to make decisions that the rest of the world would have pulled me back from. I am convinced you would visit me in a prison even if I had committed a heinous crime.

You were my cheerleader even when you did not need to be. Especially when not being so would have saved me a lot of embarrassment.

You adapted to me more than I ever adapted to you.

While I miss not being able to talk to you every day or see you every 90 days, it is only after your departure that I have truly understood what a few things mean. Cracking the top of the list is the concept of “unconditional love”.

Unconditional love is what mothers are all about. And that is the BEST thing about them.

To you in heaven and to every mother in heaven and on earth today, I raise a toast – thru the pain I live with – HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

That is a picture of you and me … 55 years back!!

Still no furniture in the main floor, but I have my fountain pens and writing pads moved and my vinyl records and turn table moved. My motorbike is parked in this garage. Now most of the bar essentials have been moved too.

I am not sure I need anything else! I can live here a very happy camper.

This was in Alpharetta Arts Center. It was great to see our new neighbors of Midwick there. Also, ran into old running buddy Claire and her husband Bob there. The usual suspects of DJ, PJ, Chetan and Jaya were of course there too!

The school had given us 48 hours notice to keep the secret. Her best friend Ava and she were going to be told that they were the Val-Sal for the class of 2022.

You can see the surprise on Nikita’s face as she walked in. She was apparently told by her teacher to go see the Guidance Counselor immediately. The first picture is when she realized that there were a lot of teachers in the room. The second one is when she turned around and realized that we were in the room too. The third one shows the disbelief in her face when she was told why she was there!!

They met in first grade and have been best friends ever since. You might even remember them together in some of the posts from our last vacation in Hilton Head.

That was a lot of fun watching her go from “What did I do to get into trouble?” to “Are you sure there is no calculation mistake here?”

Since I do not follow her grades, I had no idea how she was doing overall. But it seems it took her by surprise too!

Normally, Sharmila and I go out for a drink every single evening if I am in town. This time she was not in town.

No problems! I drove up a couple of hours to where she was to join her for a drink in the evening and then drove back by myself!