My mother turned 95 on the 23th . She has bladder cancer , which hasn’t spread , and some other issues , but is a tough old woman of English / Irish decent ( Tuthill / Hand ) and is hanging in there . My father was a jerk , to put it simply and mildly . I remember one time he gave my mother money to go Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve . Somehow she managed to get us some of the things we wished for . He never watched us open our gifts . I can still see him walking through the living room , where the tree was , dressed to the nines on his way to stand in the back of St. Joseph’s Church and then head on down to the Knights Of Columbus bar to drink . Never even managed a Merry Christmas . Ma did all the shopping , wrapping , etc. for SIX kids . 2024 will probably be her last . Sadly , I can’t see her as I am in Japan and she is on eastern Long Island living with one of my sisters who is taking care of her . Love my Ma !
Oops - her birthday was on the 13th and not the 23rd .