Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and to my sister, both among the best moms in the business. Their example of unconditional love encourages me to believe the world isn’t such a bad place.

My sister in particular further inspires me with her preparedness in the face of all situations. Her car, for example, is better stocked with the necessities of life than my house. The only items you might reliably find in my car at any given moment are some old cassette tapes my brother recorded for me in the 80s and a dog leash.

Once when my niece was still small enough to be confined to a car seat, I was driving her somewhere in my car. As we were driving along, my niece suddenly looked around the bare, dusty car and said to me in her clear, sweet voice “Helen, where is the water?” It took a moment before I realized her mom’s car always carries an ample supply of bottled water for drinking.