Glue

Glue. What exactly is glue? According to Webster's Dictionary, glue is something that binds together. However the second meaning is that glue is something to satisfy the human desire for community.

Well, as Mother's Day approaches, I think of my Mom. She was the glue to our family. She had an unbelievable passion for making sure that not only was everyone taken care of, but that they knew what the rest of the family was up to.

My Mom spent an incredible amount of time on the telephone, but it was never idle chit chat. It was always with the intent to find out how you were, what you were doing and to tell you about the rest of the family. Of course, no matter what, when she was in New York, she had to tell me the weather report. That was funny. I don't know why she was compelled to tell me that, but it was sweet and I miss those phone calls now.

In the first year after she passed away, I tried desperately to fill her shoes. I called all the relatives on a weekly basis, just the way that my Mom did. I tried to ask the pertinent questions that she asked and share the news that I had found out on the other phone calls. But it wasn't the same. It was too sad for me to continue in the same exact manner of my Mom, so I tried a different path and does seem to be working for me now. Although my circle of family has narrowed quite a bit.

I use the power of the Internet. I write emails. I take and share photos. I don't get the vast details that I used to get, but it does work for me. My family members tell me that they love the photos because they feel like they are a part of our lives and sharing in the daily activities that I choose to document with my camera.

But with other family members, the glue has melted. Sometimes I find that sad, and other times it doesn't bother me.

But Gloria Horne was truly a unique person and she touched so many lives. Her glue still lives on.