To
the Glory of God
and to
Martha Newman Morris Ewing
and
Sarah Alice Morris Gramley
The Marvellous Morris Girls
My mother, Martha, so desperately missed,
so dearly loved,
even if we did fight like cats and dogs
for quite a few years:
so far away in death, and as near as my mirror
where I sometimes catch a heart-stopping glimpse of you—
the ache in my heart that never forgets that you are gone,
the joy that remembers all that you were
and the indomitable warrior spirit in you
to fight for those who could not fight for themselves
My dear Aunt Sarah, whose love and affection have upheld me
in the good times, the bad times, and the dry, hard times—
whose strength and tenacity and sheer zest for life
have inspired me for many years,
whose faith in me has braced a flagging heart,
and whose truth-speaking is as rare and precious a gift
as the loving heart that prompts it—
to you, who have become my second mother
I dedicate this work