I carried Mama

From Memory

When I was young, Mama used to tell me about when she used to take me to see Dr. Eiger (sp?), our pediatrician. She would say that Dr. Eiger would look at how quickly I was growing (from my original 6 lbs 1 oz birth weight) and joke that I should be carrying Mama instead of the other way around. I find that many of my memories grow fuzzy as I age; I don't know that I remember Mama carrying me even though I remember Papa doing so. Still, that story always made me smile, especially as I shot up to be taller than anyone else in the family (I will never forget when I finally passed Tina in height ;-) ).

In her later years, Mama suffered greatly from rheumatoid arthritis in her knees and in her feet; and it was especially very difficult for her to walk up stairs (there is another story there for when, in her last years, she laboriously climbed up and down our stairs so she could play with Kristiana up in Kristiana's room). When we were at the Lee Family Reunion in Cancun, the meeting room required having to descend several steps. To save Mama the trip, I lifted her up in my arms and carried her down (and up) these flights of stairs. She was amazingly light in my arms.

Not every child gets to carry their parents--I am grateful for this memory.