“Hi Mom!” “Hi.” Silence. “What’s new?” I prompted after waiting a few moments. “Well, I finally planted the lemon tree.” Big sigh. I could hear something simmering in the background and wished I were there to eat it with her later. This was not the usual flow of our conversations. To understand the story I’m about to relay, you need to know something about my mother. Born before there was medicine, she was grateful beyond measure for help of any kind. A child of the depression, she never