When I was a little girl, my mother sat on the edge of my bed every night and sang me to sleep in her soft alto voice. She sang lullabies and old folk songs, soothing melodies that eased me from wakefulness into slumber. Those peaceful few minutes at the end of the day are among my sweetest childhood memories.
I remember watching my mother and thinking how beautiful she was, with the light from the hall illuminating the curve of h