My mother, Mary Ann Harrison, was so many extraordinary things - loving mother and grandmother, devoted daughter, sister, cousin, friend, Dental Care provider, political activist and fundraiser, party planner and caterer, golfer, antique collector, community volunteer, traveler. bridge player, and hostess...She lived her life with gusto and glee, leaving her indelible mark everywhere she went. She was also a lover of stories and conversation; there was never a moment that couldn’t be made better with a good, long talk. She was the gregarious center of attention, and people were drawn to her in a very special way. Perfect strangers would tell “Big Red” their life’s stories, and she relished every detail. She also loved to tell tales from her own life. I learned the names of her childhood haunts and friends, ex boyfriends, old teachers and former colleagues as if they were characters in a favorite book. For my mother, sharing stories was a way of building community, confirming values, and laying the groundwork for life change.
”I truly believe that someone, somewhere needs to hear your story to effect change in their life. Isak Dineson once said, “to be a person is to have a story to tell”. I hope that many of you, her family and friends, will use this blog to share stories and the memories you have of my mother.
