A Tale of Two Mothers

For the very few people who don't know it...I was adopted at birth.  I have never met my birth mother; her name is Mildred Lucille Sellers.  I love my birth mother, even though I have never met her or spoken to her or even seen a picture of her.  I thank her, though, for giving me to two loving, wonderful parents...Douglas and Marianne Clarke.  My mom, Marianne Clarke, was the best mom.  I simply adored her, loved her, and respected her.  She was so much fun!  She graduated from Indiana University (third in her class!!) when I was 19 years old!!  I helped her study while I was still in high school!!  My dad offered her anything she wanted for her graduation present and she decided she wanted to go backpacking across Europe with some of her graduating classmates!!  Which she did and she had a great time, of course!  She helped other families adopt babies, helped people get their citizenship, was always involved in United Way...the list could go on forever.  Yet, she ALWAYS had time for her four children, who were also involved in United Way!!  She thought it was more important for me to go to the opera, the ballet, the Art Institute, and any other cultural event than it was for me to learn how to cook!!  So...I love the opera, ballet and art and have taught myself to cook!!  Thanks, Mom!  She never spoke a bad word about anybody.   She was the epitome of a Southern lady...living in Indiana!!  She was smart, funny and always lived life to the fullest.  Even when she was undergoing chemo for breast cancer, she was still playing in bridge tournaments and helping deliver Meals on Wheels!!  She and my dad traveled all over the world, even while fighting cancer!  (She finally succumed to cancer after fighting it for seven years.  Even then, though her doctors told her she had six months to live, she lived seven more years!)  She hosted kids from several countries and so exposed her four kids to people from all different countries and walks of life.  She taught us that we should love and respect all people, no matter what color their skin, where they were from or how much money they had or didn't have.  Of all the women who have influenced me in my life...Marianne Clarke would be at the top of my list!! She taught me SO much and was my best friend for many, many years. Oh, and she taught me how to play a killer game of Scrabble!!  And, Mildred Sellers taught me that when you love someone more than anyone else, you do whatever you have to do to show how much you love that person...she gave me to Marianne Clarke to raise.  So...thank you to my two moms.  You both loved me and I thank you so much for that.