My Mother, Mary: The Foundation of My Life
This section must begin with my mother, Mary Hannigan. She was born on October 14, 1919,in Concord, New Hampshire , into a world very different from the one we know today. I was her third child and her second daughter, and from the very beginning her presence, love, and example became the foundation on which so much of my life was built.
My mother embodied strength in quiet ways. She carried with her a deep sense of faith, resilience, and devotion to her family. Her wisdom was not always in words, often it was in how she lived, how she carried herself through joy and hardship alike.
This photo shows my mother bringing me home for the first time, where I was lovingly welcomed by my older sister, Joyce, and my brother, Tom.
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My Grandparents
With both my parents working full-time, I was fortunate to have my grandparents close by. My father’s mother, Nana, lived on one side of our duplex, while my mother’s parents lived right next door. My grandparents were constants in my young life, bringing rhythm, warmth and steadiness to my days. Life with them was filled with simple, grounding […]
Birth Order
One of the major factors of my childhood was my birth order. I was the middle child, the second daughter in a family of five. With a brother a year older and another a year younger, I found my place squarely in the middle of a busy household. There was an advantage to being the […]
