Mother's Day is bittersweet for me, as I haven't had my Mom with me since I was very young. Every day brings back memories which make me smile. I wonder how she would have liked the adult that I've become, as I continually strive to be the "firecracker" that she once was.

A wee bit of a woman, less than 5 feet tall, Marilyn Sidman Ehrlichman was a force with which to be reckoned. Her flaming red hair let you know that she was fiery and fearless, with a very short fuse which I share with her. Mom was a consummate yenta, community activist, fashion plate,perfect mother and friend. I was her Cinderella, her princess—the firstborn of all girls in our family. She set her sights high on me, and I think I've delivered so far. Time has a way of softening hard edges, but I don't have one bad memory of her.

If you needed something done, you called Marilyn. She took charge at events and meetings, whether there were 5 or 500 people involved. She carved swans from watermelons and filled the empty shell with gorgeously crafted fruits and vegetables, baked doll cupcakes with hoop skirts made out of butter cream frosting and wore the highest, most stylish, naughty spike heels that I've ever seen. Mom was a gadfly, a gabber, a gift to everyone she met. I just have to look in the mirror to see what she might have looked like at my age now. Marilyn was forever gorgeous, forever young, and sorely missed.

Submitted by

Robin Ehrlichman Woods

(Overly beloved daughter and TV34 Host/Executive Producer of "Robin's Nest" and "The Buzz")

Please submit any Mother's Day tributes or memories to Montclair Patch by emailing them to Shelley@patch.com.