Backstory

“What do you do in a case like this?”

That was my mother’s favorite question.  She asked it all the time – when weighing pros and cons, when figuring out what punishment to dole out to one of her three kids, but especially when playing an intense hand of gin.

Mom loved to play cards.  Poker, gin, blackjack, hearts….you name it, she played it.  And if money was involved, all the better.

Tapping her cards on the table, she’d study your face, the cards played, and the cards she knew you had in your hand- nothing got by her.  And then she’d say, with a faraway look in her eye, “What do you do in a case like this?” That’s when we knew it was game over – for us.

Lately it seems that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I ask myself that same question. It actually comes in handy when I’m stuck.  Mom always had a game-winning strategy, and though her tactics were highly questionable, as you will soon see, her results were always impressive.

For fun, and to honor her memory, I’ve decided to share how she would respond when life dealt her a good or bad hand.  Some people say her methods were kooky, others say genius.  Whether it was a relationship gone awry, a teenager gone rogue, or a career move executed perfectly, you’ll learn what my unconventional mother did – and what her protégés continue to do – in cases like these.

Thanks for reading.