Let's go window shopping

Genovefa Domanska (Jenny Miller, to her flapper era friends) was a beautiful woman with some resemblance to Queen Elisabeth. The youngest of six, her life had many disappointments, the death of her mother in the influenza at age ten, bottom of the pecking order when my grandfather remarried a woman with six of her own, a boyfriend who crashed his speedster into a bridge. All this left her risk adverse and protective from fear of loss.

Given the tough times into which I was born, I learned from my mother how to go happily “window shopping”—the joy of seeing without the compulsion to possess. To this day I am an incurable lèche‐vitrine (“window licker”), as my neighbors would put it. Recently during Ramadan, I apologized to my favorite Tunisian traiteur for forgetfully munching tastes of her delectable cuisine in front of her.  She replied, “No problem, I eat with my eyes all day long.”

It is no surprise that mothers’ maiden names are the secret password to credit card and bank accounts. Mothers are the key to unlocking many of our riches, and mother’s love continues to sustain our self‐esteem and confidence long after they have left us for more rewarding advocacy. Thanks, Mom!