THE MAP MAKER'S MOTHER

A cartographer’s mother made cards to send her daughter.  The mother saved stamps from different countries.  The daughter knew her mother would steam the stamps, releasing them from the letters.  She would mount the stamps on colorful paper.  The daughter studied maps of places that no longer existed.
As she paused, the cartographer would think about her mother's life.

She hoped her mother was happy with the life she lived.
It made the map maker think about her own life too.

Being there is not a place.