We clicked instantly. We laughed so much, like the time I sat down to rest against a wall during a beer festival, happily digesting my bratwurst, the now-empty paper plate by my side. A few people walked by me, said something that sounded kind even in German, bent down and threw some coins on my plate. I was puzzled. When Michi returned from getting us some soda (wink), I shared my confusion about what happened. She burst out laughing, gasping out, “They think you’re a bum!”

With a terminal disease, I am living my fullest life while keeping an eye on the not-so-distant future knowing that I won’t see my kids reach adulthood. Can one “cram” mothering?