Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death. You can say her passing or demise or whatever, but I discovered when she died that I hate all those euphemisms. It doesn't matter how you say it, the facts are still the same. Being an atheist, I don't really believe in an afterlife, at least not the way most people think of it. I think her atoms are still here, banging around, and her energy is now coursing through something else. It seems selfish, but today is a pretty big taking stock day for me. Maybe I should be thinking of her more, but I mean, she's gone, so what's she got going on? Alternatively, my whole life changed when she died. The consequences of those changes have been an odd combination of predictable and completely unexpected. My sister and I are closer than ever, which has been a welcome change from our previously surly and reluctant exchanges. Turns out that when your mom dies and your dad has a stroke, you're pretty happy to have a