Growing up in the 1950s had many rewarding moments. Playing with dolls and sewing with my mother are two pastimes that I cherish and continue today – in memory of the best mother ever.

I was the second youngest of seven children who were raised in a loving Christian home in the rural country of Warren County, N.J. My father worked as maintenance supervisor at the county courthouse in Belvidere. Mom was a stay-at-home mom and loved every moment of it.