The Story Behind the Picture: In early 2008, Mother mentioned that she had always wanted to go to Disney World. The fact that I lived so close by gave me the perfect opportunity to get tickets. Then, I attended an event where I won two all-day passes to any Disney Park.
I called Mother on the way home and told her to plan for a trip down to Orlando, which she did. We went on a Thursday in the middle of October when the weather was crisp and the crowds were, by Disney’s standards, “thin.” I told her we would start at the back of the park and work our way forward, which is what we did.
For an entire day and into the evening, we frolicked at Hollywood Studios and I watched, amazed, as my grown mother turned into a “little girl,” looking at the “world” around her with gleeful eyes. Near the end of the day, she had her picture taken with Fantasia Mickey, which delighted her. Later, she declared that day to be one of the best days of her life.
We didn’t know, of course, how few the months would be . . . we didn’t know that within a year and a half, there would be no more chances for making those “fun day” memories.
Grab them while you can.