There is a young mother that has lived next door to me for the past 10 years; I’ve wanted to tell the community about her for some time. Mother’s Days have come and gone and over the years I always think of her and what an exceptional example she is. Her name is Maureen Tuggel and she has two sons named Kye and Beck. Over the years I’ve watched her spend endless hours with her boys outside. She plays baseball and hockey and has taught them how to ride bikes. She rolls around on the grass laughing with them. What I find unusual for this young mom is that in all the times I’ve seen Maureen she has never once had a cell phone in her hand. I’ve never seen her talking on the phone or texting when she is with her boys. I don’t know a lot about Maureen but I can only imagine that she had a grounded childhood, which contibuted to her being such a fully present mother. That’s why I didn’t want another Mother’s Day to go by without letting her know that people notice how kind and polite her boys are and we see the time she spends playing with them. As I round The Annex dyke on the way back from another dog walk, I often see her and her boys playing and it really warms my heart to hear their happy little voices and see her smiling face. In my book, Maureen is Fernie’s Mother of the year!
Sharon Switzer,
Fernie, B.C.
