Life Lessons from Death

... And you could tell me your wishes... My mother passed away in November.

I don’t share this to get any sympathy; my mother and I had been estranged for nearly 30 years. Back as a teen, I made it clear she was not the type of negative role model I needed in my life, and she in turn decided she did not have a daughter. Our paths never crossed again.
So imagine my shock when I received a call at the end of December from a gentleman claiming to be my mother’s good friend and informing me she had...