Why I chose a porch swing as my Momento.

Some of my fondest memories of my childhood were times a spent sitting with my Mother on our front porch swing.  Every night around 5:30 p.m. we would sit and wait for my Dad to return from work.  While we sat there, I would play with my doll and my Mom would read the daily newspaper.  This is where I got my first lessons on mothering.  My Mother showed me how to change my baby's diaper, change her clothes, swaddle her, and rock and pat her to sleep.  When I saw my Father approaching, I would run to greet him and walk him home.  There are two constants that remained with me all my life from this time: one, how to nurture and care for my children; and two, the habit to read the newspaper everyday.