"My mother, who is 87, has a path from her bedroom to a chair, which sits beside a huge table filled with papers and condiments. The table nearly fills her small living room in senior housing at White Shield, N.D. From there she can see the television and anyone coming through the door. In spite of the doctors stern-faced warnings about her health, she has rallied. A few weeks ago, she sat with the family at a dinner, laughing and participating in our teasing conversations. We were pleased.

My other mother (my aunt), who is 81, takes setbacks to her health in stride and hasn't lost her sense of humor. But her memory, like my mother's, is most accurate when she recalls events of the distant past. Sometimes my mothers don't remember if they've eaten dinner."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: A gift mothers can give on Mother's Day: stories (The Grand Forks Herald 5/8)

More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Foreigners more interested in Indians (5/4)
Yellow Bird: Tribes and media must work together (5/3)
Yellow Bird: Native people lost advocate in Elbers (4/27)
Yellow Bird: Think about Earth Day every day (4/26)
Yellow Bird: Strong flower like spirit of Native people (04/13)
Yellow Bird: Drum policy excluded local tribes (04/12)
Yellow Bird: The phenomenon of the 'hobby Indians' (04/06)
Yellow Bird: A tribute to the warrior women (4/5)
Yellow Bird: Indians the most misunderstood (3/31)
Yellow Bird: Keeping our ceremonies sacred (3/29)
Yellow Bird: Awakening for Native and Christian (3/23)
Yellow Bird: Saying goodbye, the Native way (3/16)
Yellow Bird: Human rights in North Dakota (3/15)
Yellow Bird: Hard to find Indian like Martha Stewart (3/9)
Yellow Bird: Is Big Foot wandering reservation? (3/8)
Yellow Bird: Sound of birds heralds arrival of spring (3/2)
Yellow Bird: Big market for 'isms' in the media (3/1)
Yellow Bird: Tribal justice program to bring good (2/24)
Yellow Bird: Indian perspective on Lewis & Clark (2/23)
Yellow Bird: In large family, sisters are special (2/18)
Yellow Bird: Atkins diet worked for Indian friends (2/16)
Yellow Bird: Big-city ballet in a Northern Plains town (2/10)
Yellow Bird: 'Fighting Sioux' is poor sportsmanship (2/9)
Yellow Bird: Lake outlet a tough sell for many (2/3)
Yellow Bird: The magic of the Spirit of the North (2/2)
Yellow Bird: Providing Indian education to public (1/26)
Yellow Bird: Long hair can be hazardous sometimes (1/20)
Yellow Bird: Remembering Grandmother Philomene (1/19)
Yellow Bird: Wild animals have a right to exist too (01/13)
Yellow Bird: Tribe has made incredible journey (1/12)
Yellow Bird: 'DreamKeepers' breaks stereotypes (01/07)