Claudia - She Makes it Happen

Ralph and Claudia with my brother, their firstborn.

Like many mothers. the only pictures I have of my mother are with her surrounded by family. Her husband, her children, her mother and siblings. Mother's, especially before digital cameras, didn't get much film to themselves.

Claudia is an unusual mother, not just because she has dealt with schizophrenia since her teenage years, but because she is so freaking smart on top of it. The double whammy of astounding brilliance and mental illness makes it practically impossible for people to treat you fairly. In the 1960's, when Claudia became a mother, schizophrenia was treated in what we might consider barbaric ways, with no reliable medications available to control symptoms. There were no social service programs in place to assist in her difficulties. She was on her own to figure out how to care for her two children and keep the voices in her head within reason. As you can imagine, it was a hard road and it didn't go so well.

Just like my dad, Claudia is a hard worker. While Ralph washed dishes, Claudia did a wide variety of manual labor jobs. The court documents presenting my family situation, describe Claudia selling pens door-to-door. According to her, she sold pretty much anything and everything that could be sold door-to-door. It was also Claudia's job to keep track of the family finances and to constantly jump through the myriad of hoops that the government requires when you are poor, ill or down on your luck. That is a daunting task for a healthy, college educated person. I tip my hat to Claudia for her ability to make sure the lights stayed on, food was in the house and the taxes were paid.

The perfect example of Claudia's can-do spirit was happened shortly after we were reunited as a family. Ralph and Claudia wanted to take a road trip to visit friends and I couldn't go with them. No matter, they would go on their own. I asked if they had enough money to make the drive. I didn't have any money I could to give to them, and I didn't think it was a good idea they were trekking across the midwest states by themselves. Claudia told me not to worry, she had a plan on how to get some money. She would sell copies of her cookbook. I was all, "Cookbook? What cookbook?" She casually pulled out a stack of her self-made cookbooks, reproduced at the local copy center.  Claudia and Ralph planted themselves in the parking lot of the local popular diner and offered a copy of her cookbook to passersby's. Wouldn't you know it - within a few hours they had sold enough cookbooks to fund their trip and off they went.

No matter what the challenge or hardship, Claudia has been able to figure out a workable, legal solution to the problem. Numerous times I have thought, "Oh well. Ralph and Claudia are gonna have to accept this situation," and every single time I have been proven wrong. My mother's go-to mantra is "Jehovah will provide" and that is what keeps Claudia open to all possibilities, all opportunities and all miraculous outcomes, especially the one unlikely one - that her children would find their way back to her.
Jehovah did alright on that one.

As an added bonus, I am including a sneak peek of the first pages of Claudia's cookbook. Try her recipes for yourself. If you want to get more, contact this website and I will happily hook you up with my mom's cookbook. She is proud of it and I gotta say,  over the years it has funded more than a few important things.  Bravo, Claudia, Bravo.