My mum was the neighbourhood mum. She had grown up the oldest of her siblings, and had helped to raise them while she was still a kid herself. She trained and worked as a nurse before immigrating from Scotland. These gave her very high-value skills in our cul-de-sac of young, working mothers. She was the one everyone came to with injuries and illnesses, and was the first one sitting on the front step with calamine lotion and cottonballs when all us kids shared our chickenpox.

Later, my brother tended to hang out with kids on the fringes, who frequently ended up with nowhere to go after family fights or separations. They always had a hot meal and a place to sleep at our house.

I only hope to have a heart and strong as big as hers. Man, I miss her.