Conversations with Calliope- My Mother's Life

(Mom's Birthday)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you coming with the column about your mother?
JOE: It's done and ready to post.
CALLIOPE: No trouble writing it?
JOE: None. I had a good idea what I wanted to write and wrote it.
CALLIOPE: Were you able to incorporate major historical events as you planned?
JOE: Yes. It flowed easily with a little help from Google.
CALLIOPE: The things we take for granted.
JOE: Right. I recall hours of library research to find anything useful when I attended college.
CALLIOPE: Did you get a chance to interview your mother?
JOE: I did.
CALLIOPE: Any surprises?
JOE: Just one. When I asked her if she had any regrets about her life, she thought a bit but couldn't think of any.
CALLIOPE: I wonder how many of us could say that.
JOE: Precious few I would guess. Certainly not me. That's one thing that makes her her. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Ninetieth Birthdays

(Dunkirk Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Full of ideas which flooded me throughout the night.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: My column is taking shape for this Saturday. I decided to write about my mother's ninetieth birthday.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to approach it?
JOE: As usual I have only 500 words. My greatest challenge will be to contain myself to the allotted space.
CALLIOPE: What about content?
JOE: At first I thought of writing what I know of her life. Then I recalled the secret lives of some of my relatives of which I was not aware until after they died.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to change that with your mother?
JOE: Yes. I will interview her and, rather than making it a tribute to her, I will tell her story in her own words, or at least the highlights.
CALLIOPE: Sounds good. Anything else?
JOE: I thought of including some of the things that have happened in the world since she was born. But this will depend on whether I have room for them. We shall see.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good plan.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.