Pages still to be written............

Every once in a while, you come across a story that is so engrossing that, without much notice, you might find yourself on the final chapter and might hesitate to continue with the knowledge that the end is approaching. You and I both know that this is normal and the story will end, whether we want it to or not. The good news is that the story still has pages to be written and the end, by no means, is set in stone. This story, from my stand point, begins at my birth (of conscience). I was not present at the very beginning and have to count upon those that were to fill in the missing details. The story is that of a displaced yankee and her struggle to establish and maintain an identity that was hers and hers alone. The setting is familiar in that many of us can relate to having been cast in a mold and subsequently having to free ourselves from what could have been a meager and uneventful existence. The main character in this story not only created a unique identity for herself, but for her family as well. To this day, we are known as Judy's kids. I have and will continue to wear this moniker proudly. Mom broke the mold early in life, having been a member of a Rifle squad in her high-school years. This was at a time where the woman was expected to stay at home, cook, clean, and raise the children and doing something outside of this narrow definition was frowned upon and even ridiculed. I can say that she has excelled at all endeavors that she has set upon and has re-written the definition in her own hand to include just about anything one may think of. She took up painting early in my childhood, not in an effort to escape her life, but as a way to enrich her life and ours by proxy. Her sphere of influence grew exponentially when she discovered the calm and peaceful hobby of birdwatching. Here again, she has gone past the norm and taken a hobby and turned it into a life-style. She has poured herself into this "hobby" and what has resulted is a legacy that will be apparent on the coast of Mississippi for years to come. What is amazing, to me at least, is that she did this without alienating her still dependent offspring and even managed to pass the bug to one of us at least. My life list is at 98. A paltry sum for someone of her prowness, but passable for someone like me. The Judith A. Toups birding trail in Ocean Springs Ms will be a pilgimage that I will take whenever I need to remember this part of her. Throughout my life, she has been a constant. There even when removed by several hundred miles. There because of who she is and what she has passed on to me. There by giving and becoming a respected member of her community and a naturalized southerner and stumpjumper. I would bet that the vast majority of those that know her or her name, don't know that she's a yankee. Let's just say that one's birthplace does not dictate one's identity. Besides, not many would believe it. I could continue to ramble on, but time marches on, and with it, the obligations that life requires. I shall end this with a promise to continue this story as it unfolds. Oh yeah...one more thing. Call your MOM instead of just wishing you did.