Mother’s Day memories of the mom I lost

Alden Loury in his younger days, with his mother, Janice Brazan, who died in 2022. She pushed me to be curious, always in pursuit of knowledge and understanding, and she taught me to never question whether I’m good enough, Loury writes. (Provided)

The memory is a year old, but I can still see the smile form on her face as she opened her front door to greet me.

“Happy Mother’s Day,” I told my mother as I extended my hand to present the bouquet of flowers, an assortment that included roses, carnations and a few calla lilies, her favorite.