Probably my favorite memory of my mother is from the mid-1990s, when I was having lunch with her in a small coffee shop somewhere in a suburb of Vancouver. I forget the details of our conversation, but at some point the issue of one's 'contribution to life' arose. After some reflection, Mum remarked, somewhat wistfully, 'I can appreciate younger people believing that they can actually change the world...' Her voice trailed off as she suddenly began to laugh. At first I wasn't sure what she was laughing at, but quickly clued in that she was poking fun at both herself and the human condition, and in particular, the dreams and ambitions of youth, and how so often they are never fulfilled when faced with the actualities of life. Mum kept laughing, and eventually it became contagious and I joined in. After a minute or so she was laughing so hard she began to weep, as people do when laughter reaches a certain level. I doubled over in laughter with her, as much as at the sight of her mirth as at the content of whatever we were talking about (which at that point I had probably forgotten). Mum had a great sense of humour (Monty Python being one of her favorite shows), with more than a dash of that quintessential English appreciation for the absurdities of life.