What a wonderful occasion to share a few “Memorable Moments”. Of course time and space would fail me if I tried to write them all, so I decided to narrow it down to a one-on-one time that I spent with each of my three children.

In 1983, I married James Duffy Jr. and together we produced three lovely children. Gina, my oldest and only daughter, followed by two sons, Christopher and Justin. Each of them so special, so unique and I feel blessed to have given birth to them. My experience being their mom has been glutted with one reward after another, and the challenges, very few.

Gina who is now 29 years old is a smart cookie. Being the only girl, she at times felt slighted, always having to trek along to her brothers baseball games and tournaments. Her dad’s attention was laser focused on grooming his ‘Boys’ to be future Pro Baseball Players. Keenly aware of her need for personal attention, at times she and I would do things together. I really enjoyed that time when I was house-sitting my neighbors home and Gina and I decided to Crash there for our movie night. We brought a blanket and snacks and we stayed up all night snuggled up drinking hot chocolate, and watching Jane Aire Movies.

A Memorable Moment with my first son Chris was when he was about 12 years old and we went to our local Mall in Orlando Florida. As we were entering the mall I asked him to please open the door for me and he did a half job at it, and let the door go a bit too soon. I decided it was time to teach him how to treat a Lady, so I went back outside and asked him to open the door again. Again he let the door go before I could get completely inside, and again he had to keep repeatedly opening the door for me until he got it right. He became very angry and of course he was embarrassed by all the spectators, but I was determined to teach him to be a gentleman. I do believe my persistence paid off because now he is 26 years old and I heard from several sources that he is a TRUE Gent:)

Finally, a Memorable Moment of my youngest son Justin whom I’ve been accused of “Pampering”. I am no longer in denial of such accusations, although ambivalent about having done so. What Can I Say? I have NO EXCUSE for such behavior except to say “this was the last baby”, and I guarded him like a ‘Hawk’. Tell me I wasn’t thinking about his safety when he had to go in the swimming pool at 6 years old wearing Arm Wings, a Waist Ring, and a Life Jacket, not allowed to go beyond the shallow end of the pool at that! To this day we have video footage of him in all that Safety Gear Floating on Top of the water all by himself with Pattie Labelle’s Music playing in the background and Guess what song she was singing? You Guessed it right! “On My Own”… As told by Sarah Borden Duffy, daughter of Joshua E. Borden Jr. and the late Evelyn Nelson Borden Smallwood. Granddaughter of Dearly Beloved Joshua E. Borden Sr. and Channie Bessie Borden, Great Granddaughter of John Louis Borden and Cottie Elvira Eason Borden, Great Granddaughter 2X of Joshua Borden and Judah Austin Borden, and Great Granddaughter 3X of Ben Holden.